Norwegian Regulator Missed Hundreds of Anonymous Tips
Lottstift has confirmed a serious error in its online tip system. Between March 2024 and June 2025, a technical fault prevented tips submitted through its website from reaching the agency, potentially resulting in the loss of several hundred anonymous reports.
Technical Fault Discovered After 15 Months
Lottstift announced that tips submitted via its online form had not been delivered to its internal archive since March 2024. The error was only detected in June 2025, prompting concerns about the number of critical tips that may have been lost. Atle Hamar, Director of Lottstift, said:
“We are worried that we may have missed important tips and hope that people will resend their information.”
He emphasized the significance of public input for the agency’s enforcement work.
“We are reliant on tips from the public, and people must have confidence that their reports are received. This is a serious error, and it went far too long before we discovered it.”
Impact Limited to Anonymous Tip Form
The error only affected tips submitted through the online form that allows for anonymity. Reports sent via email, phone, or direct contact were not impacted. In the past two months, the authority managed to recover 120 tips. The rest have been automatically deleted due to privacy regulations.
“This means that several hundred tips may be lost, but we have no exact numbers. We will review this thoroughly and make the necessary changes to prevent a similar situation in the future.”
Lottstift has fixed the error and is urging people to resend any critical information. Hamar reaffirmed the role of the public in the agency’s enforcement efforts:
“People must have confidence that the tips they send will be received and taken seriously. Getting tips is vital for us. Several of our enforcement cases start with a tip from the public.”