Vodafone website infiltrated by cuts campaigners
A Vodafone World of Difference beneficiary gives UK Uncut a password to post on the comms company's website.


Vodafone had a section of its website hijacked on Thursday, as blogs were posted claiming the communications giant owed billions in tax.
UK Uncut managed to gain a password to Vodafone's World of Difference website, posting claims the firm owed 6 billion to the UK Government.
The campaign group called on the Government to take action, suggesting the funds could be used to support charities, which are having their budgets slashed.
The Vodafone World of Difference programme hands grants to people wanting to carry out charity work. One recipient, who blogged on the website, leaked their password to UK Uncut.
Photos and videos of UK Uncut's protests at Vodafone stores were posted alongside the blogs.
"Vodafone make a big deal out of their funding to charity, but their charitable giving pales into insignificance compared to the 6 billion they got away without paying in tax," one of the grant winners said.
"I work for a charity and understand how the government's brutal spending cuts will hit the poorest and most vulnerable."
Get the ITPro daily newsletter
Sign up today and you will receive a free copy of our Future Focus 2025 report - the leading guidance on AI, cybersecurity and other IT challenges as per 700+ senior executives
Vodafone said it has no unpaid tax bill and HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has labelled the 6 billion figure being used by protesters as an "urban myth."
The firm also noted it contributes over 700 million every year to the Exchequer.
However, last year the firm did agree to pay 1.25 billion in a tax settlement with HMRC.
The dispute was over controlled foreign companies tax and the case ended with the largest corporate tax settlement in UK history.
The communications giant also stressed the website was not hacked, as a number of reports had suggested.
Vodafone said there was no risk to World of Difference winners or to customers' personal data.
"The posts which appeared on two World of Difference winners' blogs were published as a result of an individual sharing log in details with a protest group, not as a result of a 'hack,'" a Vodafone spokesperson said.
"World of Difference winners are doing great things for charities up and down the country. It's very sad to see how low people will go to further spread misinformation and for the charitable programme to be used as a platform for this kind of protest."
Tom Brewster is currently an associate editor at Forbes and an award-winning journalist who covers cyber security, surveillance, and privacy. Starting his career at ITPro as a staff writer and working up to a senior staff writer role, Tom has been covering the tech industry for more than ten years and is considered one of the leading journalists in his specialism.
He is a proud alum of the University of Sheffield where he secured an undergraduate degree in English Literature before undertaking a certification from General Assembly in web development.
-
The UK cybersecurity sector is worth over £13 billion, but experts say there’s huge untapped potential if it can overcome these hurdles
Analysis A new report released by the DSIT revealed the UK’s cybersecurity sector generated £13.2 billion over the last year
By Solomon Klappholz
-
"Thinly spread": Questions raised over UK government’s latest cyber funding scheme
The funding will go towards bolstering cyber skills, though some industry experts have questioned the size of the price tag
By George Fitzmaurice
-
Kyndryl and Vodafone Business collaborate on new cyber security services
News The expanded partnership aims to help Vodafone customers meet their regulatory compliance requirements
By Daniel Todd
-
Threat of cyber attacks to national security compared to that of chemical weapons
News The UK government has raised the threat level posed by cyber attacks, deeming it greater on average than an event such as the Salisbury poisoning
By Rory Bathgate
-
2022 Public Sector Identity Index Report
Whitepaper UK Report
By ITPro
-
UK and Japan strike digital partnership to collaborate on IoT security, semiconductors
News The two countries are also set to align their approaches to digital regulation to make it easier for companies to operate in each nation
By Zach Marzouk
-
Defra's legacy software problem 'threatens' UK gov cyber security until 2030
News The department spends over two-thirds of its digital budget on maintaining the risky applications, with no plan in place for a fix within the decade
By Rory Bathgate
-
Netherlands urges citizens to prepare survival kits in case hackers target critical infrastructure
News The latest campaign from the national coordinator for security echoes the growing concern in the UK government over serious cyber attacks
By Zach Marzouk