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.

Avoiding accidental data breaches is simple

Many accidental data breaches stem from things like data being posted out incorrectly, or passed to someone that includes information and data that shouldn’t have been provided. The other common scenario is the wrong data sent to the wrong person.

There are so many easy ways to avoid these accidental breaches taking place. These can include:

• Double-checking (as obvious at that sounds!);
• Keeping data for different people separate at all times;
• Keeping particularly sensitive and confidential information separate;
• Password-protecting documents and attachments sent by email;
• Restricting access for data for only when it’s needed;
• Avoiding, where necessary, the need to handle and send out more information than is necessary.

This also goes for emails where the wrong attachment is sent out, or where an email is sent out to more than one person accidentally. However, when it comes to mass emails, as we always say, organisations must make use of proper mailing platforms in order to avoid these scenarios. Don’t ever rely on the BCC function to send out mass emails; just use the proper software to make sure that you’re protected.

For the victims, knowing how a breach can be prevented can be useful in understanding how we can help you with a claim for compensation.

No excuse: it’s the law!

The other major point about accidental data breaches, aside from the easy ways to prevent them, is the fact that preventing them happening anyway is the law.

The GDPR and the previous Data Protection Act 1998 couldn’t be any clearer. This should be at the forefront of every employee’s mind when it comes to handling data, in the same way that carrying out their usual duties is.

Data protection is a conversation that should be evident everywhere; right from the base of an organisation and up to the boardroom. Everyone should understand the law and understand their duties to comply with the law. In today’s increasingly digitalised world, we must all recognise the importance and prominence of data protection.

Advice for victims

Victims of accidental data breaches can be entitled to more than just an apology. You can be entitled to more than a year’s worth of free credit monitoring as well; something that’s commonly offered in the wake of a breach nowadays.

The law entitles victims of a data breach to be able to bring a claim for compensation, and we can represent you for a legal case on a No Win, No Fee basis. As such, what have you to to lose?

Thousands of people have come to us for our expert help over the many years we’ve been fighting for the rights of data breach victims. We’ve been helping people since the early days of data protection claims, and as an expert niche law firm that specialises in data breach cases and consumer actions, our focus is on ensuring that you can get the justice that you deserve.

For free, no-obligation advice, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team today.

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