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Scottish charity fined after destroying irreplaceable personal records

Shredded documents in a bag.
Photo: Carsten Koall/Getty Images

Some of the destroyed items included handwritten letters and photographs from birth parents.

Birthlink, a Scottish charity specialising in post-adoption support and advice, has been fined £18,000 ($24,029) for failing to properly maintain records after destroying about 4,800 personal records – of which 10% are believed to have been irreplaceable. 

Data deleted included handwritten letters and photographs from birth parents, and the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said: “Some