Welcome To The Data Leak Lawyers Blog

NHS remote and automated systems: What are the concerns?

In the past few years, the National Health Service (NHS) has made attempts to expand and ease the pressure on its extremely busy and hectic services with use of new technology. This included setting up an entire NHS internal email system that allows staff to send ‘secure’ emails to each other to share ‘sensitive information’.

An electronic prescription service is also available that allows GPs to send a prescription directly to a pharmacy.

But in the increasingly interconnected digital world, what are the concerns over using such technology? Should we be worried?
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ICO fines Verso Group £80,000 for breaching data protection laws

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has issued an £80,000.00 fine to broking company Verso Group (UK) Limited. The ICO found that the company violated data protection laws because it didn’t adequately inform data subjects what was being done to their personal information.

Whilst investigating two other companies for breaches of the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations, the ICO noticed that Verso Group may have been supplying the two companies with personal information for the others to send unsolicited direct marketing communications to unwilling subjects. One of the companies, Prodial Ltd, was fined for making 46 million nuisance calls and was subsequently fined £350,000 by the ICO.
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NHS data breaches and NHS data breach compensation

The National Health Service (NHS): the provider of the nation’s healthcare that we put our trust and confidence in to look after us and care for our bodies and minds. In that trust, we usually give them unlimited access to our medical records.

Within those medical records, the NHS know all about our bumps, scrapes, embarrassing ailments and our most guarded mental health issues. They are a target for hackers and are leading the leagues when it comes to the highest number of breaches, which is very worrying. A lot of it is down to inadequate systems and procedures, but for the victims, it can become a life-changing event.
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The largest data leak compensation claim payouts

Data leaks can cause an absolute chasm of problems and, in reality, an unlimited amount of damage.

Personal information that’s been exposed can be used to create all sorts of damage and it may never end. The psychological effect can be hugely traumatic and distressing, so this type of damage can be very difficult to recover from. Monetary losses can be calculated in pounds and pence, but putting a figure on the cost of personal damage isn’t an easy science.

It can be done, though; and here are some of the highest recorded payouts.
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Urgent investigation launched over yet another data breach by the University of East Anglia

Only a few months ago, the University of East Anglia faced huge criticism when it accidentally sent out private and confidential information about students’ extenuating circumstances to hundreds of American Studies students.

Vowing to do better, the University gave the impression it would improve data protection procedures to ensure a similar incident wouldn’t happen again.

Sadly, it appears they have failed to uphold this, given there are now reports that sensitive information about a staff member was sent to 300 students in a second data leak. How can this have happened?
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Will fingerprint systems prevent data thefts in the healthcare industry?

In the digital era, the safety of data has been a huge concern for many industries. The healthcare industry has always been a prime target for cyberattackers, and it’s one of the industries that suffers the highest number of breaches.

There’s no surprise as to why this is the case. Medical records are seen as a treasure trove because they usually contain a wealth of personal information – enough information gathered for someone to seriously blackmail a victim, or perhaps even commit identity fraud.

Medical information is sensitive – so will new tech save us from future scandals?
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Internet data hacking and compensation claims

The internet is a fundamental part of our lives. It connects us and provides us with access to the wealth of information this world has to offer.

However, when these figurative cyber portals are open, it’s important to realise it’s a two-way door…

With the rise of the digital age and the use of ever-advancing technology, cybercriminals have a far greater number of targets. Some criminals no longer need to plan a difficult and risky burglary to steal valuables from buildings; hackers can access bank account details for millions of people without leaving their desks!

And the problem is getting worse…
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After massive Equifax data breach, experts advise regular reviews of bank accounts

Equifax made history when it was hacked. Personal information belonging to an eye-watering 146 million people in the US, UK and Canada was at the centre of the breach.

The incident caused massive outrage as the hack was performed by exploiting a known vulnerability that Equifax failed to patch up. Affected consumers were understandably shocked and angry by the violation of their data rights, some weren’t even aware Equifax were storing their information. All the anger and disappointment aside, the breach has a real life risk to those exposed. So, what can be done to protect them?
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Data leak and data breach compensation – a very quick guide

Data leak and data breach compensation is a fairly new area of law. It’s definitely still within its infancy, but as the digital age continues to grow, it’s never been more relevant than now.

Data leaks and data breaches are happening all the time. Go back 20-years and we were still very much reliant on paper, but nowadays, I’m sure almost all office workers are sat in front of a computer that’s connected to a network and the internet.

This hugely expansive ability to connect, coupled with the growth in the use of digital information, has led to a time where leaks and breaches really are a continual problem, and people need to know what their rights are as a victim of a data leak or a data breach.
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Three NHS employees found guilty of illegal data snooping

Despite Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) warnings, NHS employees are continuing to breach data protection laws. We again see employees being found guilty of illegally accessing medical records belonging to people they know – i.e. family, friends, neighbours and colleagues – we assume this data snooping is merely to satisfy their curiosity.

In this latest batch, three perpetrators were fined by the ICO for their clear and obvious breaches, and we are yet again left wondering what can be done to stop these continual events happening.
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