- The Ledger data breach of last year has left the company facing an ongoing PR dilemma
- Each social media post is met with a barrage of criticism from users, but the company can’t simply quit platforms
- How long can the company go on inviting negative PR on itself?
Ledger just can’t catch a break. The hardware wallet manufacturer has been fighting a PR war ever since the privacy scandal that rocked the company last year when over 200,000 customers’ personal information was stolen and leaked online. Almost a year after the first leak took place Ledger is still facing daily punishment for its sins via user comments to any and all social media posts, to the point where the ‘Ledger social media manager’ must be one of the most tainted jobs in the space. The situation was neatly summed up in a poll that Ledger ran yesterday, with the company realising that, in their position, asking the opinion of their audience on any matter simply results in a flurry of negativity toward the company.
Ledger Leak Impact Continues
Ledger’s woes date back to May 2020 when it was alleged that Shopify customer data had been leaked, with Ledger one of the companies affected. As 2020 unwound the Ledger situation got worse and worse, culminating in Ledger having to inform 292,000 customers that their personal details had been leaked online, including names, addresses, and phone numbers, alongside one million email addresses.
Since this information became widely available, customers have reported an increase in spam emails, text messages, and telephone calls, with many being forced to change phone numbers and some even moving house to avoid the potential ramifications. If Ledger was in any doubt as to the ongoing impact of the data leak, a recent poll posted by the company will have set their thoughts straight:
Ledger is your gateway to:
— Ledger (@Ledger) May 4, 2021
Amid the 3,329 votes was a barrage of other replies that must have had the social media team wanting the ground to swallow them up, many of which referred to Ledger being the gateway to enduring difficulties:
Ledger is your gateway to ….. Having to change your phone number and email because of all the scam calls and emails, plus having to alter account info on multiple exchanges, then there’s always the fact that your home address has been leaked online. Thanks for that @Ledger
— In cognito (@Cognito133) May 4, 2021
Gateway to losing funds. You screwed up, your data leak generated lots of troubles losing BTC included.
— Michał (@Micha36575457) May 5, 2021
Being data hacked & constantly being threatened with death and violence thanks to ledger handing out sensitive information. Thanks ledger – never did like my legs anyway.
— Fat UnFederal Bastard (DIP) (@FatNostril) May 4, 2021
No Easy Solution
The difficulty for Ledger is plain to see – they have to keep promoting themselves and their products and services, and social media is a primary tool for doing that. However, every time they set foot in that world they are met with a wave of negativity which, after several months, is still going strong. If any potential customers happen to be scrolling down the Ledger Twitter page prior to purchase, for example, there is a good chance they will be put off buying Ledger products, or at least alerted to what happened.
There is no easy solution to Ledger’s PR problem, with the only option open to them being to ban comments to posts, but of course this brings with it the suggestion that they are silencing critics, which will go down equally as badly. They may simply be hoping that the problem goes away with time, but as each social media manager that gets chewed up and spat out can probably testify, that doesn’t look like it will happen anytime soon.
