Oxfordshire County Council data breaches

Oxfordshire County Council data breaches were in the media last year in terms of the volume of them and the increase in events that have taken place over the last decade or so.

Local authority data breach incidents can be substantial given the nature of the information that they store and process. The impact on the victim can be severe, and justice can be achieved by way of a claim for privacy compensation. Your Lawyers, as a leading firm of data breach experts, are here to help.

You could be eligible to pursue a legal case on a No Win, No Fee basis with our expert team. Contact us here to find out more now.

Oxfordshire County Council data breaches in the news

Oxfordshire County Council data breaches were in the news last year when it was reported that they had suffered over 1,100 incidents over a five-year period.

According to the Oxford Mail, there had been a tenfold increase in data breach reports when comparing figures between 2016-2017 and 2020-2021. Media reports cited data that had been reviewed following a Freedom of Information request.

Whilst it could be understandable that the GDPR has resulted in higher volumes of Oxfordshire County Council data breaches being reported, this news is a cause for concern. There is also the matter of the coronavirus pandemic and how much added pressure and stress this put onto local authorities, as well as the wider public sector. However, there is no excuse when it comes to the importance of adhering to data protection law, and people’s information must be protected at all times.

The seriousness of council data protection issues

The seriousness of council data protection issues cannot be understated. The media reports cited over 1,100 incidents in a five-year period for Oxfordshire County Council data breaches alone, so you can only imagine what the figures could be if you to look at every single local authority across the country. The numbers would likely be substantial, where huge volumes of people may have had their personal information misused or exposed.

Important factors to consider when it comes to local authority data breaches is the extent of the information that can be involved. Councils will often store and process the usual personal details as well as financial information for council tax reasons, and possibly medical and domestic data for social services and local care needs. If a single council database was subject to a breach or a cyberattack, we could be talking about hundreds of thousands of people’s very personal and sensitive information being exposed.

We can tell you from a great deal of experience that council data breach claims are very common, and the impact on the victims can be substantial. It is clear that this is an area in the public sector that requires particular focus to make sure that our right to privacy is protected.

Data breach awards for council cases

Data breach awards and pay-outs for council privacy compensation cases can be substantial given that they may store and process a wealth of very personal and sensitive information. Generally speaking, the more distress a victim suffers from, the more a claim could be worth. We can assess this using factors such as the nature of the information that has been affected, how much is involved, and to who data could be exposed to/misused by.

There is also the personal impact which can differ from person to person, and this can account for an individual’s personal circumstances. This is something that we can assess as part of a claim for compensation.

You can speak to our legal team for free, no-obligation legal advice about pursuing a council data breach compensation claim here now.

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