In late October 2020, an alarming incident involving personal data theft occurred, affecting individuals who sought therapy services from Vastaamo, a Finnish company. The headteacher of a school, Tiina Parikka, was one of the victims, receiving a threatening email shortly after dealing with distance learning plans due to a Covid outbreak. The message, marked with her name and social security number, demanded €200 in bitcoin within 24 hours to prevent the release of her personal information.
If the ransom was not paid, the demand would escalate to €500 within 48 hours, with threats to publish sensitive details, including therapy records. Parikka experienced intense anxiety upon reading the email, recalling feelings of panic and vulnerability as she contemplated the potential fallout from the breach of her private therapy sessions. This incident highlights the severe implications of data breaches, especially for those who confide deeply in therapeutic settings.
As the situation unfolded, many individuals, including Parikka, faced the harsh reality of having their most intimate thoughts threatened with public exposure, a violation that felt profoundly personal and damaging.