Welcome To The Data Leak Lawyers Blog

Fury over huge data protection breach involving child sexual abuse case files

Hundreds of confidential files have been found abandoned in a former office that had recently been vacated by the organisation Change, Grow, Live (CGL).

The entirely avoidable data leak included highly-sensitive records and documents involving vulnerable adults and children; i.e. confidential data that should be completely secure and never left open to being accessed without appropriate authority.

According to reports, files had literally been left behind after CGL vacated the premises.
read more

By Author

Governments demanding answers from Uber over recent data breach

Car-sharing company, Uber Technologies, are facing further questioning from governments as they demand answers over alleged violations of multiple laws and regulations stemming from the 2016 Uber data breach that saw a reported 57 million customers and drivers have their personal information exposed.

The failure to disclose the breach is not being accepted by some regulators and lawmakers. A number of lawsuits have been launched against the popular company with allegations of consumer fraud and deceptive business practices.
read more

By Author

Equifax hit by colossal class action after data breach victims suffer financial fraud

According to multiple sources, a significant number of Equifax customers have been targeted by criminals after their personal information was stolen in the massive Equifax breach. Unwilling to take the hit for Equifax’s incompetence and negligence, many are bringing a major class action claim in the U.S. to recover their losses.

We’re representing a large number of people who have come forward to seek compensation for the Equifax breach here in the U.K. as well. We firmly believe that victims should be entitled to compensation in a case of this nature.
read more

By Author

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.
read more

By Author

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.
read more

By Author

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…
read more

By Author

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.
read more

By Author

Equifax hack compromised 15.2 million U.K. records

The gigantic Equifax data breach that saw 143 million U.S. customers have their sensitive credit information breached also affected 15.2 million U.K. records as well. There are thought to be some 700,000 U.K. victims of the breach who may have had their personal and sensitive information stolen.

Equifax has said they will reach out to victims by post to notify them of the data breach and offer free access to some form of data risk mitigation service.
read more

By Author

Aetna sued for revealing HIV statuses of 12,000 patients

Health insurer, Aetna Inc, is being sued for a serious oversight that reportedly revealed the HIV status of around 12,000 patients when a letter was sent out to customers with large clear windows that referenced HIV medication.

It’s a monumental blunder that’s similar to the London sexual health clinic, 56 Dean Street breach, where an email was sent to over 700 patients with names and email addresses for recipients visible. We act for a large proportion of the people claiming in that action.

The clear window is of course intended to be clear, so the address is shown for posting, but this doesn’t change the fact that the letter clearly hadn’t been properly planned out given that private medical information was visible too.
read more

By Author

U.S. appeals court split over whether victims can claim for ‘fear of damage’ from data breaches

Although this story is from the U.S., we keep a close eye on American data protection affairs as our laws can be similar, and cases and challenges can reflect on how we may see the law here.

In this big news story from the States, a recent federal appeals court in the U.S. have said that claimants can sue defendants who breach their data protection obligations for ‘fear of damage’, even if no actual damage has occurred. This can make sense, as the damage could be done at any point in the future; but this decision moves away from one Supreme Court case that said claimants needed to prove a risk of “imminent” and “concrete” injury to bring a claim.
read more

By Author