New research has highlighted that public sector GDPR breaches could become a more regular occurrence due to understaffed Government data protection teams.
GDPR breaches can be extremely serious, exposing people’s private data and leaving them vulnerable to cyberattacks and much more. It is important that victims know their rights – as a leading firm of data breach compensation lawyers, we could represent you for a case on a No Win, No Fee basis if you are eligible.
We are proud to offer free and no-obligation advice for victims of a breach too.
Public sector GDPR breaches
Public sector bodies can incur fines after a data breach has occurred, and victims can be entitled to claim compensation if their personal information has been misused or exposed.
The GDPR that replaced the previous Data Protection Act puts a greater duty on public authorities and public sector organisations to protect the information that they store and process. Failure to do so may lead to significant fines.
As a reminder, the UK’s data watchdog, the ICO (Information Commissioner’s Office), has the power to issues fines of up to €20 million or 4% of a company’s global annual global turnover.
With the implementation of the GDPR, it is likely that data protection officers in central government and public sector agencies have a much greater workload than before. As with most organisations, people now need to work harder to avoid a public sector GDPR breach that could lead to a substantial fine and compensation claims for the victims.
The risk of GDPR breaches looks to be increasing in the public sector
Since the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) were introduced in 2018, as referenced above, public sector data protection officers likely have a more intense workload. This added pressure itself could actually contribute to more public sector GDPR breaches taking place.
In a Survey Report by eCase, The Impact of GDPR on Central Government, it is highlighted that the extra workload for the data protection officers has not been matched with additional resources. It states that limited staffing for data protection teams in both central government and public sector agencies could result in more public sector GDPR breaches as workers are stretched too thin.
The eCase report tells us that; ‘Although 70% of data protection officers (DPO) working across central government and public sector agencies reported a significant increase in their workloads, 40% reported their team sizes staying roughly the same.’
What victims of a data breach can do
Your Lawyers, T/A The Data Leak Lawyers, has years of experience dealing with data breach compensation claims for victims.
We pioneered data breach action in 2015 for the infamous 56 Dean Street Clinic Leak and have been at the forefront of data breach actions ever since. We can offer No Win, No Fee legal representation for eligible clients.
Our experienced legal team has helped thousands of claimants recover millions in damages across a range of multi-party, group action and individual claims. In 2019, we were appointed by the High Court of Justice to the Steering Committee of the British Airways Data Breach Group Action. This is the first GDPR Group Litigation Order (GLO) in England and Wales, and we are proud to be playing an integral part in this action.
For free, no-obligation advice today, please do not hesitate to contact the team here.