File sharing data breach compensation claims

File sharing data breach compensation claims could allow a victim to pursue GDPR damages on a No Win, No Fee basis with our leading team of Data Leak Lawyers.

Read on for some advice, and make sure to contact our team for free, no-obligation legal help here now.

Types of file sharing data breach compensation claims

There are many ways in which file sharing data breaches can take place that could result in a victim being able to pursue privacy compensation on a No Win, No Fee basis.

When it comes to common kinds of incidents, one is simply where information is sent to the wrong person. Whether it is a case of files about you that have been shared with someone else instead of you, or shared with another company or person in an organisation that had no right to see the data, such an event could constitute a breach of data protection law. A similar kind of incident is when the information for lots of people is accidentally shared, perhaps because it is sent to too many people or is sent to the wrong organisation. An example could be a spreadsheet of information about people within an organisation that is accidentally sent to customers rather than someone internally.

Another example could be where files are accessible online or in portals where they should not be accessible, causing such files to be shared. This could come down to a simple oversight when it comes to cybersecurity or technical configurations, but it could lead to swathes of personal and sensitive information being misused or exposed.

However it has happened, a case of this nature where anyone has lost control of their personal information could be entitled to pursue a GDPR compensation case. The best place to start if you are eligible to pursue a data breach compensation claim is to contact our team for free, no-obligation legal advice here now.

What could you pursue damages for?

When it comes to file sharing data breaches, or any other privacy compensation cases, you are typically claiming distress that has been caused by the loss of control of your personal information. If you have incurred any expenses or lost any money directly, these can also be considered, but they are not essential to pursue a case. Most people will pursue damages for the distress alone.

Distress claims are damages for a sort of “injury to feelings”, so to speak, which can compensate you for any worry, upset, anger, and general distress that has been caused. This can easily happen because the law recognises that we are entitled to privacy, so when this is breached and we have lost control of who knows what about us, that can cause that kind of injury.

It is well worth pursuing a case as our average data breach compensation settlement for mostly individual clients claiming distress alone is just over £6,000 in damages. When it comes to particularly personal and sensitive information, claims can routinely settle for over £10,000. A common example in that regard is a medical data breach compensation claim.

Group action matters like this

When it comes to group action breaches that are caused by file sharing data incidents, it is not uncommon for them to form into official group or multi-party actions when many people’s information has been affected.

Two easy examples are as follows: the major Virgin Media data leak discovered in 2020 involved a database that was accessible online because it had been incorrectly configured. Essentially, an information file was accessible online to anyone. Another one is the Watford Community Housing Data Breach event in which a spreadsheet containing personal and sensitive data for residents was sent to a huge number of residents themselves.

Data breach disclosures and claiming compensation

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