Category: Data

Police breach data protection breach compensation

We represent victims for police breach data protection breach compensation claims, and we can offer No Win, No Fee arrangements for cases that we can take forward.

Although we can be thankful for the hard work and bravery of many officers of the law, it’s important to remember that the police are not above the law. This includes officers, senior staff, and administration and support employees. Anyone employed within the police service is subject to the same rules as everyone else, and the Data Protection Act and the GDPR apply.

If you have been affected by a leak, breach or hack involving the police, you should speak to our team for free, no-obligation advice. We’re data compensation experts with a proven track record of settling claims, with thousands of people having come to us for our specialist advice and legal representation.

Confidential advice for an HIV status data leak

compensation advice for hospital data breaches

We offer professional, confidential and no-obligation advice and representation for an HIV status data leak as an area of law that we have particular expertise in.

One of the first data actions that we took forward was for victims of the infamous 56 Dean Street Clinic leak. This 2015 leak resulted in the HIV status for almost 800 patients being exposed, and the impact for the victims has been substantial. Having built legal cases for the many who placed their legal cases with us, we understand just how bad this kind of data exposure can be.

It’s important to know our background in these kinds of claims, given how serious a matter like this is. A lot of law firms have started offering services for data cases, and we’ve seen some remarkable and unsubstantiated claims being made by some firms when it comes to their role in the sector. People need to take care.

Snooping on medical records: legal advice

Ultimately, snooping on medical records is not OK at all. In fact, in the UK, this behaviour can constitute as a breach of data protection laws, and that can land the snoopers in trouble and give the victims the right to claim.

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has prosecuted a number of NHS workers for these kinds of incidents. They have also had to issue general warnings to remind staff about their obligations and duties, and the fact that snooping on records could get you prosecuted, fined and sacked.

In terms of the victims, they can have the right to bring legal action for compensation if their records are ever snooped on. We can represent people for medical data protection breach cases like this on a No Win, No Fee basis.

No excuse for accidental data breaches

When it comes to the impact for victims and their rights that are enshrined in law, there’s simply no excuse when it comes to accidental data breaches.

Although “accidents happen”, as they say, there’s so much that organisations can – and must – do to prevent breaches and leaks. A lot of it is simple stuff, and a lot of it comes down to employers putting policies and procedures in place, and employees sticking to them.

We can show you how easy it is with a few simple examples. We can also advise about the rights of victims and inform you what you can do if you are ever the victim of a breach or a leak.

The issue of police misusing IT systems

humberside police fined by ico for data breach

We’ve discussed the issue of the police misusing IT systems before, and it’s a topic that needs to be addressed a lot given the nature of the data that they’re charged with.

Officers and employees have access to huge amounts of data, some of which is very personal and very sensitive. When exposed, victims can be understandably distressed, and that’s where we can assist.

Victims of a data breach can be entitled to make a claim for compensation that stems from the loss of control of private and sensitive information. We may be able to represent you, and since no one is above the law, you shouldn’t worry about going up against the police.

Data breaches in 2019

First published by Matthew on December 16, 2019 in the following categories: Claims Cybersecurity Data Group Action Latest and tagged with compensation | cybersecurity | data breach | Group Action | personal data

We’ve seen a number of data breaches in 2019, as well as developments in some of the high-profile cases that we’re involved with.

As the year comes to a close, it’s a time to reflect on the fact that there have been 4 billion records breached so far, according to Norton. This is despite the introduction of the GDPR last year that should have pushed organisations into ensuring that leaks, breaches and hacks are always at a minimum.

As the issue of data breaches continues to affect us all, it’s also important for the victims to know their rights when their personal information has been misused or exposed.

Gaming app data breaches

council worker fined for sharing data information to social site

There has been a large volume of gaming app data breaches in recent years, and it may well be a trend that’s set to continue as these kinds of apps grow in popularity.

Gaming apps are now used by millions across the world, and there are no doubt hundreds of even thousands of them to choose from worldwide. We’ve previously discussed the issues over many apps having poor security, which recently led to Facebook closing down links with hundreds of apps due to concerns.

Ultimately, people need to be careful. Not only do people need to consider who it is that’s going to be in charge of their personal information, but they also need to consider what happens if a security breach takes place.

NHS South Central and West data leak

First published by Matthew on December 06, 2019 in the following categories: Data Healthcare Technology and tagged with data leak | medical data breach | nhs | personal data

There’s been an NHS South Central and West data leak. It’s a familiar story in terms of how the leak has happened and the fact that it appears to have been very preventable.

In this latest incident, thousands of families have reportedly been sent letters encouraging the uptake of flu vaccinations for children. Unfortunately, due to a “mail merge error”, names and addresses for children were somehow mixed up. The result of this is that parents and carers have received information for other people’s children.

Another huge leak that may have been entirely preventable that took place owing to events that have taken place before. NHS data breach compensation claims are one of the most common types of cases we take forward because of how often these kinds of incidents happen, and it’s clear to us that more needs to be done to prevent them from taking place.

Government data breaches are serious, and here’s why

Government data breaches can be incredibly serious, and when you look at why, it’s obvious. Victims of these kinds of data breaches should know their rights for justice as well, and this goes for both national and local government organisations.

I heard recently that a survey suggested that some IT bosses in the public sector consider that the data they hold is not as valuable as data in the private sector. Clearly, some of these individuals do not grasp the gravity of the extent of data that’s stored and processed by public sector organisations and would do well to consider this.

Given the nature of the data that they hold, and for how many people, any breach, leak or hack can be serious.

Fraudsters targeting first-time buyers

According to credit-reference agency Experian, there are increasing incidents of fraudsters targeting first-time buyers, and some of it can be related to data breaches.

As a firm of expert data breach compensation lawyers, this news doesn’t come as a surprise to us at all. First-time buyers can be vulnerable to the kinds of tricks and scams that criminals can pull off, particularly because of being thrown into the world of owning a home for the first time. Criminals could pose as a number of organisations or parties, and they could use information from data breaches to convince people that they’re the real deal.

This kind of problem demonstrates how bad a simple data breach can actually be for a victim when criminals use even small bits of seemingly “harmless” data that has been exposed in a breach to do serious damage.