Inappropriate access to information – £8,000 settlement secured

Inappropriate access to information can cause considerable distress to victims of data breaches of this nature. We previously recovered £8,000 for a client we represented.

The law recognises that we have a right to privacy, so when people flagrantly disregard their duties when it comes to access to information, that can constitute a breach of the GDPR. When that happens, victims could be eligible to pursue compensation, and we may be able to help with this now.

£8,000 settlement for inappropriate access to information case

Inappropriate access to information can cause considerable distress to those whose personal data has been misused or exposed as a result of such an incident. That is why we previously recovered £8,000 in settlement of a data breach compensation case of this nature, which reflected the suffering and distress that our client was forced to endure.

Many of us appreciate that quick and easy access to information can be a brilliant thing to help organisations in all sorts of sectors. However, with such ability comes great responsibility for employees to make sure that they only access information and process it when they have authority and reason to do so. Any inappropriate access to information can constitute a breach of the GDPR, and it is recognised that this can breach our right to privacy, which can cause considerable distress to those affected.

Whilst we cannot go into the finer details of the particular case referenced in this article, we recovered £8,000 for a case of this nature given the distress that our client suffered as a result of what happened.

ICO warnings about unauthorised access events

The ICO – the UK’s data watchdog, the Information Commissioner’s Office – has previously had to issue blanket warnings, particularly in the healthcare sector, in respect of inappropriate access to information. There have been far too many incidents in which people have looked at the data for people they know and have accessed it because of their work. Easy examples include doctors or nurses accessing patient records for people they know, or those working for local authorities doing the same.

There is absolutely no excuse at all for that kind of behaviour, and such actions can constitute a clear breach of data protection legislation in the UK. Individuals who commit such acts can be prosecuted as well as being fined and ordered to pay court costs which can be considerable.

Context is key in a case like this

When it comes to incidents of this nature, context is key. If you consider that someone you know who works for a GP practice has accessed your personal medical records, it can be incredibly worrying and distressing to know that they now have access to that kind of information. Even worse is that this kind of information is particularly the type that we want to maintain confidentiality over. Further, the person who knows the information is somebody who we know which can cause considerable distress.

Your Lawyers, as leading Data Leak Lawyers, is used to representing people in cases of this nature. As we have explained above with regard to the example in this article, pay-outs for such incidents can be considerable.

Data Breach Compensation: Greater Manchester Police Incident

Misconfigured databases that lead to data breaches