London council data breaches

The issue of London council data breaches has hit the media in light of damning statistics about the volumes of data that has reportedly been lost or stolen that involves these authorities.

Council data breach compensation claims are one of the most common types of cases that we take forward. The reasons are likely down to the sheer wealth of data that authorities and their outsourced partners hold, and the fact that it can be very personal and sensitive. What also doesn’t help is the fact that there are funding issues which can mean some councils aren’t able to commit enough resources for data protection either.

As a leading, specialist data breach law firm, the statistics do not come as a surprise to us; despite how worrying they are.

Worrying statistics over London council data breaches

Worrying statistics about London council data breaches has hit the media. A Think Tank named Parliament Street, as reported by Info Security Magazine, has confirmed that:

• Between around 2016 and 2019, 1,293 devices were lost or stolen;
• The number of lost and stolen devices appears to have increased year-on-year;
• Lambeth Council was the most affected, with 281 losses recorded of which 84% involved mobile phones.

This is a huge amount of information to be lost or stolen, and it’s understood that this involves data from mobile devices, laptop computers and tablets. It can be a case of a loss of information from devices themselves, or the actual devices being lost or stolen.

Employees need to understand their responsibility for such devices, and encryption and protection measures ought to also be in place in the event that a device is lost or stolen.

Why council data breaches can be so bad

Although the news about the London council data breaches highlights just one area, the are many reasons as to why council data breaches, in general, can be so bad for victims.

Councils and local authority agencies can hold the “full range” of data about people, so to speak. It can be the usual personal data, as well as financial and employment information for council tax reasons, and medical and domestic data for social services requirements. In fact, a lot of the council data breach claims we take forward involve social services breaches.

The kind of data that could be exposed or misused could be incredibly personal and sensitive. Medical data claims alone can be serious when you consider the nature of the information at the centre of them. But we could also be talking about domestic family histories, such as events that have taken place, and safeguarding information.

What can victims do?

Victims of London council data breaches or incidents involving any other local authority can be entitled to make a claim for compensation.

We can offer No Win, No Fee representation, and all our initial advice is available on a free and no-obligation basis.

Thousands of data breach victims have come to us for our expert representation. Our lawyers are also fighting for justice in dozens of data group and multi-party actions, and compensation pay-outs in these kinds of cases can be significant. This can especially be the case when the nature of the information that has been exposed or misused is particularly sensitive.

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