Tag: government
Data Privacy Day 2021 – will we see future changes?
Data Privacy Day 2021 was marked recently on the 28th January, the fifteenth time the day has been celebrated. Also called Data Protection Day in the UK and Europe, Data Privacy Day commemorates the signing of the first international treaty that was legally binding for governing data protection and privacy, named Convention 108.
After what had been another eventful year of data breaches in 2020, we believe it is important for all individuals and organisations to start 2021 with a positive, proactive approach to data protection. The commemorative day at the start of the year should be valuable in raising awareness about issues relating to data privacy, yet nothing ever seems to change as we continue to see breach after breach after breach.
At Your Lawyers – The Data Leak Lawyers – we aim to empower victims of data breaches to take action against those who have failed to protect their data, to ensure that the consequences of data breaches can be learned. We feel that it is the most proactive way forward given that no amount of legislation or commemorative days appear to be making the difference that is really required.
East Devon Council password data leak
In a serious misstep at East Devon Council, the passwords of 37 council members were reportedly exposed online to other councillors, leaving private email inboxes potentially vulnerable to unauthorised access.
The error was quickly corrected, with affected councillors resetting their passwords. However, the period of vulnerability could have caused leaks of confidential information, which is why this is a serious matter.
Despite local authorities’ important responsibility to their communities and residents, we see data breaches happening far too frequently at local councils, suggesting that many are still failing to take their data protection duties seriously. At Your Lawyers – The Data Leak Lawyers – we believe that failures when it comes to data protection law justifies legal action, as many of these local authorities need to develop more rigorous data protection measures to protect people’s information. Where they fail to do so, we are here to help.
Increasing surveillance led by councils and the police
The Surveillance Camera Commissioner, Tony Porter, has recently spoken of his concerns regarding the technology used by local councils and the police to monitor public movements.
As the government watchdog designed to ensure government compliance with the surveillance camera code of practice, it is worrying that the commissioner believes the restrictions on local authorities may not be sufficient.
In particular, Mr Porter reportedly warned that the use of Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras is unregulated by central government, likening their usage to MI5 tracking. In fact, the security services are subject to much tighter restrictions, while the level of surveillance led by councils and the police appears to be going under the radar.
At Your Lawyers – The Data Leak Lawyers – we always advocate for personal privacy, so it is worrying that the government may be unnecessarily storing data and information pertaining to members of the public.
School cyberattacks and data protection
School cyberattacks represent some of the most significant threats to data privacy in the UK, primarily because of the sensitivity of the information that school systems hold.
While cybersecurity procedures will hopefully be followed well by most staff, the effects can be dangerous when a cyberattack exposes children, parent, or staff information.
Teachers and schools have an important duty of care for their pupils and are often privy to confidential information to allow them to protect children and provide tailored educational plans. This means that a lot of private information falls under their protection, whether this is provided by children and families, or shared with them by social services.
Sheffield Council data breaches
While large-scale data breaches are often the ones that hit the headlines, the reported Sheffield Council data breaches represent an example of how individual data breaches can build up and amount to significant information being exposed.
Over the course of 2019 and 2020, Sheffield City Council is understood to have recorded a total of 231 incidents, 92 of which were breaches involving personal data.
At the Your Lawyers – T/A the Data Leak Lawyers – we have been representing clients in privacy cases since 2014 as a leading firm of data breach compensation lawyers. We believe that councils must be held accountable for any inadequacies when it comes to data protection, so we are here to help you with council data breach compensation claims now.
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The 2019/20 New Year’s Honours data breach – one year on
The New Year’s Honours List is published at the end of every year to recognise the achievements of some of the most successful and influential people in our country. As such, the New Year’s Honours data breach at the end of 2019 was a significant blot on this celebratory event.
In an accidental leak, the addresses of over 1,000 award recipients were published online.
As the turn into 2021 marked just over a year since the leak occurred, we wish to notify victims that they still have a right to claim compensation. We are already taking legal action following the leak, as all organisations must be held accountable for failures to protect private data. Your Lawyers – The Data Leak Lawyers – is here to help any victims of data breaches at all times.
Lichfield District Council and data protection negligence
A recent meeting of local councillors has reportedly highlighted data security problems that could put the Lichfield District Council in breach of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
The issue surrounds the reported continued use of unencrypted laptops and was raised by Cllr Joanne Grange, who is understood to have expressed concerns that the problems had still not been addressed three years after they were identified in 2017.
It is understood that Cllr Grange suggested that the failure to update working practices in accordance with data protection regulations could be tantamount to “negligence”. Her statements have undoubtedly highlighted some key problems which the council should feel obliged to address as a matter of urgency.
Public Sector GDPR breaches – legal advice
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.
Concern over DVLA data breaches
Concerns have been raised over the surprising volume of DVLA data breaches reported to the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) in 2019.
A data breach has to be significant enough to be reported to the ICO in most cases, so concerns over exactly what data has been breached, and how it has occurred so many times, have been raised.
Your Lawyers, as leading specialists in the field of data breach compensation law, have years of experience representing thousands of people for a host of privacy and information incidents. If you have suffered having had your data lost, stolen, exposed, or misused as a result of DVLA data breaches, you could be entitled to make a claim with us today.
Department for Work and Pensions data breach impacts 6,000 over 2 years
Over 6,000 people have reportedly been affected by the latest Department for Work and Pensions data breach, with sensitive information leaked in error.
The DWP (Department for Work and Pensions) suffered a serious data breach after publishing the sensitive details of over 6,000 individuals online for over two years. It is understood that the data was only taken down this Monday and formal investigations into the data breach have been launched.
If you have been affected by the Department for Work and Pensions data breach, you could be eligible to make a compensation claim for the loss of control of your personal information. Depending on what data of yours has been leaked, we may be able to assist you.