Spanish Big Brother faces $4m privacy fine

Organisers of a Spanish television programme based on the Big Brother format may face a fine up to $4m after a hacker accessed their server and posted personal details of contestants on a website.

The Big Brother programme, already a huge success in the UK, attracted detailed applications from thousands of Spanish hopefuls.

Selected personal details were already available to the public, who may vote for their favourite contestant. But undisclosed details such as the credit rating, IQ and medical history of about 1,700 applicants have appeared on a fanclub website.

Spanish data protection officials predict organisers of the show could face a $4m fine, in addition to a flood of lawsuits from affected applicants.