Tag: personal 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.

Inappropriate access to medical records: advice for victims

Issues relating to inappropriate access to medical records is something we have talked about before. It’s completely wrong and can have a huge impact for the victims.

In some cases – and this is what we will look at here – unauthorised access to medical data can be a great deal more sinister than staff being curious about people they’re acquainted with. In some cases, employees have accessed information for more sinister means, where they have targeted specific individuals to pursue them for relations.

We have represented people who have been unscrupulously contacted by employees who have accessed their contact data through their employment to then engage them for relations. In these kinds of scenarios, the impact for the victim can be substantial, so it’s important to know your rights.

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.

Dixons Carphone data breach fine

The Dixons Carphone data breach fine has been formally issued by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for the maximum amount possible under the previous rules.

The cyberattack took place between July 2017 and April 2018, meaning the Data Protection Act 1998 applies as opposed to the GDPR that came into force just a month later. As such, the maximum fine that the retailer could face was £500,000.00, which is what the ICO has issued. Had the attack have continued into the GDPR era, they could have faced fines in the hundreds of millions of pounds mark.

We’ve been representing victims of this data breach for some time now as expert data protection compensation lawyers with a wealth of experience in large consumer actions. As we know a great deal about this breach as it’s one of our live actions, we’re not surprised by the findings and the maximum fine being issued.

Doorstep Dispensaree receives the first GDPR fine in UK

It’s official: the first GDPR fine in the UK has been issued to Doorstep Dispensaree for data protection breaches that spanned across a two-year period.

This one involves medical data, which is some of the most personal and sensitive forms of data that there is. Medical data breach compensation claims account for a large proportion of the legal cases that we take forward because of how common they can be, and because of the impact on victims. The impact is often severe because this is the kind of information that we do not want to be misused or exposed.

The breach period, in this case, is between June 2016 and June 2018, which means that it just falls within the GDPR start period from May 2018. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) was reportedly alerted to the breach by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) who were conducting unrelated enquiries.

New Year’s Honours List data breach rounds off 2019

News of the New Year’s Honours List data leak incident rounded off what has been yet another year of leaks, breaches and hacks.

You can take it from us – as data breach experts – that news of this breach was nothing to be surprised about. We’re often asked for our expert insight by the media as we discuss what feels like a never-ending carousel of incident after incident, and this latest leak was yet another in what has been a big year for data breaches on the whole.

Our client numbers continue to grow given how often these kinds of incidents are taking place. When personal and sensitive information is misused or exposed, it’s important that victims know their rights.

Concerns over mobile apps cybersecurity

We often see mobile apps cybersecurity issues and events in the news. As the use of apps and mobile technology continues to grow, we fear there may be more incidents to come.

And some of those incidents could lead to a great deal of data being exposed or misused for a lot of people; perhaps even millions in a single event.

As data breach compensation experts, we often deal with cybersecurity compensation claims, and many stem from apps. This includes the We-Vibe group action we’re representing victims for, which saw particularly personal and sensitive data for thousands of people misused. We can represent victims for cases on a No Win, No Fee basis, and we’re always happy to offer no-obligation advice.

The future for gaming data breaches

We have previously discussed the issues surrounding gaming data breaches, and have been asked for help and representation for cases of this nature.

The market for online gaming is massive, and data will be exchanged across the world as part of activities players are engaged in. There will be a lot of accounts that contain a great deal of personal data, and there will also be financial information stored for processing payments.

There’s also a huge “black market” for hijacked accounts as well. There are the players whose accounts they have spent time and money on being stolen, and there are those who are prepared to pay for built-up accounts. This leaves serious questions over the future of gaming and how they may be affected by data breaches.

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.