We focus on the latest news surrounding data breaches, leaks and hacks plus daily internet security articles.
A victim of a police computer data breach can be entitled to make a claim for compensation for any distress or loss that’s suffered.
Ultimately, we treat a police data breach in the same was as any other. The police and their employees are not above the law, and they too must abide by the data protection laws and principles we have here in the UK. As such, any breach can lead to a victim being able to make a claim, and we can offer No Win, No Fee representation.
As experts in data breach compensation claiming, having been helping people (thousands of them!) specifically in this niche area of law for several years, we can help you.
We represent people for police-related data incidents, and with this in mind, here’s a number of reasons as to why the recent Eurofins data breach is a worrying one.
In case you’ve not heard of this one, this relates to an organisation that the police outsource forensic work to. Eurofins reportedly process more than 70,000 cases per year, and deal with DNA analysis, toxicology, ballistics and computer forensics. As such, they can be at the heart of investigations into serious crimes, including murder, sexual offences and terrorism.
Worryingly, they were recently hit by a ransomware attack. This has led to a number of concerns about the security and quality of the work they carry out, and has caused significant disruption to police investigations.
The misuse of police computer systems is a cause for concern, and it’s understood that the Police in England and Wales are having to deal with a number of internal disciplinaries over the issue.
Incidents include staff and police accessing databases to look at information improperly, and even cases where information is reportedly being passed to criminals. When you consider that the police are responsible for processing and storing a wealth of potentially personal and sensitive information about millions of people, the impact for the victim of data misuse or exposure can be significant.
Victims do have rights and can be eligible to make a claim for data breach compensation. No one is above the law, and all organisations – including the police – must abide by important data protection rules.
A number of Leicestershire police data breach incidents have been reported in the news recently. Police data breaches are always worrying, so it’s concerning to learn of these incidents.
With public sector data breaches often topping the charts in terms of the volumes of individual cases we take forward, this is a serious matter. The police computers and databases hold a wealth of incredibly personal and sensitive data about millions of people. In the wrong hands, leaks and misuse of such information can be severe for the victims.
Right now, we’re representing people who are claiming data breach compensation as victims of police incidents. News of the prosecutions and investigations into a number of incidents that stem from the Leicestershire force is concerning.
As investigations into the Police Federation of England and Wales cyber attack continue, we’ve taken cases forward on a No Win, No Fee basis.
The investigations into the two malware attacks that hit the PFEW on 9th March and 21st March 2019 are underway, and we’ve agreed to take claims forward. Our legal team who are fighting for justice in dozens of data breach group actions have been contacted for help. As with the other group and multi-party actions we’re running, we have offered No Win, No Fee compensation representation.
It’s understood that the data for some 120,000 police employees may have been exposed in the incident. At this stage, information exposure or theft cannot be ruled out.
We’ve started taking cases forward on a No Win, No Fee basis for victims of the PFEW cyber attacks that were announced recently.
Some 120,000 police employees may have been affected by this data breach, spanning 40 different forces. The PFEW (Police Federation of England and Wales) cannot determine whether any information was exposed, so on the basis that it cannot be ruled out, we’ve agreed to take cases on.
Another key factor is that there were two separate incidents that spanned over a number of weeks. The first incident took place on 9th March 2019, and the second took place on 21st March 2019. It’s believed that the attacks were a part of a wider operation as opposed to specifically targeting PFEW.
The (PFEW) Police Federation of England and Wales data breach incidents were announced earlier this month, and they’re potentially huge. The PFEW cyber attacks may have affected 120,000 police employees.
Although PFEW say that they don’t believe any information was exposed, they cannot rule it out. For the potential victims of the breaches, this isn’t helpful. It’s hard enough these days being on the police force with constant cuts and under-staffing.
This kind of added stress in the current environment of policing isn’t helpful at all.
A former candidate for Houghton Regis Town Council has been fined in a bizarre incident that led to a Bedfordshire Police data breach.
The former candidate had reportedly been arrested at his home when an officer left her netbook unattended with him. He then took a photo of the notebook and uploaded it online. He has been fined £200.00 and made to pay additional costs in the sum of £115.00.
This is certainly one of the more bizarre police data breach incidents we’ve ever come across before. It’s a prime example of just how easy it is for personal and potentially sensitive data to be breached and shared.
Former PC Sarah Corner has resigned a week before a hearing over the Norfolk Police data breach she was embroiled in.
The 24-year-old was due to face a gross misconduct hearing last month following allegations of a serious data breach. Ms Corner was investigated for illegally obtaining information from a police computer. This is a monumental breach of data protection.
Although she resigned prior to the hearing, she would have been dismissed in any event. With the wealth of data that police hold, any police data breach can be a serious one.
The Cleveland Police data breach was another example of a preventable public sector data breach that should never have happened in the first place.
As a result of what’s being classed as a “human error” incident, the personal details of 1,661 people were leaked online. As part of the police’s procedures for disclosing data about “use of force”, information was put online that was accidentally not redacted. What should have been generic information about people who had been restrained by the police between April and June this year instead disclosed far more information.
Anyone affected by the Cleveland Police data breach may be eligible to pursue legal action.
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