Know your rights when it’s a human error data leak

You can be entitled to make a claim for compensation if you have been the victim of a human error data leak, and we can offer No Win, No Fee representation.

Some may believe that there’s nothing that can be done about a human error data leak, and that it’s just “one of those things”.

But that’s not the case at all. With one recent study suggesting that almost two-thirds of data breaches are directly caused by human error, victims need to know what they can do about it. And that’s where we can help you.

Almost two-thirds of incidents caused by human error

The recent study taken from surveys in the UK and released by Apricorn found that 63% of those who responded put the data leak down to human error.

On top of that, there are suggestions that many employees who make use of remote working and mobile technology linked to their employment don’t care about security.

This is a dangerous precedent and a dangerous mindset for employees to have. As the old saying goes, you’re only as strong as your weakest link. It only takes one employee with a poor attitude or a lack of respect for security for a monumental data breach to take place.

We know human error data leak incidents are common

We can tell you from experience that human error data leak incidents are incredibly common. Over the years we’ve been fighting for justice for victims of data incidents, thousands of people have asked for our help, and we’re also fighting in over 25 different group / multi-party actions.

And a lot of those have stemmed from human errors. In fact, one of the most infamous actions were still helping people with is the 56 Dean Street Clinic leak that was triggered by a human error incident. The impact of that incident was substantial and affected hundreds of people. However, way more could – and should – have been done by the clinic and the Trust to have prevented the incident in the first place.

How can leaks caused by human error be stopped?

The thing is, it isn’t that difficult to stop most human error data leak incidents, but organisations don’t always do all they can to protect people’s data.

You can have technology in place that prevents accidental email leaks by using a proper mailshot platform. You can have two-factor authentication and enforce strong access credentials and restrict and divide access areas. You can train staff to properly respect the rules.

Who is responsible for human error data breach incidents?

The responsibly for a human error data leak will usually fall directly on the employer of the person at the centre of the breach.

Employers can be vicariously liable for the actions of their employees, so your claim can be brought against the organisation. This can especially be the case where the organisation could have done more to have prevented an incident.

Leicestershire police data breach incidents in the news

TalkTalk data breach update: customer information found online