Welcome To The Data Leak Lawyers Blog

Looking Back: Islington Council resident data breach October 2015

Last year, Islington Council accidentally published residents personal details on their public website.

This lead to Town hall bosses having to apologise yet again over another data breach on the back of three previous ones in recent years that cost the taxpayer £100,000.

The council received a phone call from a resident who had discovered the data breach after going online to pay a penalty charge only to notice copies of the residents information had been uploaded onto the council website.
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Are fitness trackers leaking personal data?

Many people have fitness trackers. You can have them on your Smartphone, tablets, and smart watches.

These trackers can allow everyone to monitor their fitness levels whilst on the go. However, despite fitness trackers being useful, its been reported that they may contain security weaknesses which allow hackers access to data.

This somewhat takes the shine off these useful devices if users are vulnerable to data leaks!
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Victim awarded £75,000 after police disclose her details without consent

A woman received a £75,000 settlement after Greater Manchester Police disclosed her personal information without her consent.

In 2014 the woman agreed that details of the domestic abuse she suffered from a former partner could be used in training sessions for officers and support agencies on the basis that her information would be anonymous.

It was later discovered, however, that her identity and medical history was disclosed in full. This was also disclosed to a wider audience. A recording of a 999 call was played as well, where she had called for help after an assault.
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Employees of Google, Samsung and Apple suffer data breach

Employee accounts of Google, Samsung, and Apple along with other tech firms have apparently had their accounts hacked.

This information comes from the Khronos website. Supposedly the hackers hacked into a forum that was often used by the developers for things such as game development. Others that are allegedly victims of the hack include Toshiba, Sony Ericsson, IBM, EA, Intel, Panasonic and VMWare.

More companies may have had employee accounts stolen as well.
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NHS data breaches are often the biggest

Most people believe their personal information is safe in the hands of medical processionals – but data breaches by the NHS are at the top of the list in terms of how often they happen.

Due to the sensitivity of the information that we hand over to the NHS, it is very private and personal information that could be leaked. It is not the same with handing information over to businesses or companies in which we can choose what information we wish to share with them. We have no option but to share lots of personal information with the NHS which can make it even more of a problem when a data breach occurs.

So it’s concerning to hear that one of the biggest offenders of leaks and breaches within the UK is the NHS!
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Hertfordshire Regal Chambers Surgery data leak results in £40,000 fine

An investigation carried out by the UK’s privacy watchdog has led to a Doctors Surgery in Hertfordshire being fined £40,000 for giving out personal medical information contrary to data laws.

The surgery, Regal Chambers, gave information to a woman’s estranged partner despite the practice being warned this might happen.

The information was formally requested by the ex-partner regarding the son he has with the woman. The data breach was discovered when the ex-partner filed medical reports in court against her.
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Police data leaks: a growing concern…

We trust the authorities with our personal information in some of our most distressing times which is why it’s important that the Police must protect the data they have on us. But is our data always safe in the hands of the authorities?

As Big Brother Watch found out in a report, the security of our data with the police might be something we should all perhaps be a bit more concerned about…
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Can computer monitors be hacked and used to snoop on you?

We are constantly being warned of different ways in which our data can be hacked. We have previously done posts on unsecured wireless keyboards and cameras, but now it appears there is another way hackers can gain access to our computers – through active screen snooping!

By exploiting unsecure monitors, hackers can manipulate screens and even spy on you.

Whilst we can agree that you should not always trust everything that you read online, we rarely question what we may see on our computer screen. But the information displayed on the screen may actually be false because it may have been manipulated.

In some cases, hackers will be extracting data without you even knowing it!
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Nurses stolen handbag causes potential data breach update

We covered this yesterday – the story about a nurse’s stolen handbag possibly causing a significant data breach, which has been a real cause for concern for those affected.

On 9^th July, in east Chesterton, an out of hours nurse who worked for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust  was visiting a patient when the out of hours vehicle she was using was broken into. Her handbag was stolen from the car, which contained a diary.

The diary contained information about 200 patients whom the nurse had been visiting for the last six months. The information contained in the diary included patient name, their address, and, for some, access information to their home.

The result of this is a potentially huge data breach for those whose details have been stolen.
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State hospital patients upset over data breach

Patients in America at Oregon State Hospital’s maximum security ward had their private information improperly shared by a hospital psychiatrist.

It happened on 9^th June where a psychiatrist ended up sending six recipients a photograph of a patient census sheet that had a list of patient’s names on it. The psychiatrist sent the image by accident; but this accident caused six people to be able to see patient’s names, treatment information, identification numbers, photos of the patient, and legal status.

A very serious breach!
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