Telford & Wrekin Council data breaches have hit the news again, after reports of three investigations into them last year by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
We wrote about one of them last year, which was a preventable incident where a member of staff had accidentally sent the wrong information to the wrong person. Two of the three investigated by the ICO were reportedly human error data breaches, with no further action taken against them. Human error incidents can be incredibly common in local authority data breach cases.
As lawyers, it’s important to address council data breaches, because they account for a significant proportion of the individual claims we take forward.
Telford & Wrekin Council data breaches investigated by ICO
Two Telford & Wrekin Council data breaches that stemmed from human error led ICO investigations. A spokesperson for the council said:
“There were two breaches reported to the Information Commissioner’s Office in 2018-19. Both were due to human error and, after investigation, the ICO was satisfied of that and no further action was required.”
What was also addressed was the huge number of Freedom of Information (FoI) requests that councils receive as well. It’s understood that local authorities are dealing with thousands upon thousands of requests for information, and there are concerns as to whether come councils can cope with the volumes.
Human error data breaches
Human error data breaches are common, which is why it comes as no surprise to us that the two of the three Telford & Wrekin Council data breaches stemmed from employee actions.
A huge number of the council data breach compensation claims that we represent people for stem from some form of human error . Where it’s an accidental leak, or an inadvertent misuse of information, or even humans being the weakest link in the cybersecurity chain, the organisation will normally be the one with the case launched against them.
As with many other areas of law, organisations can be vicariously liable for the actions of their employees. This means that human error negligence will generally be dealt with by the person’s employer. In cases like the Telford & Wrekin Council data breaches, it’s the local authority that a claim would normally be made against.
Claiming for council data breach compensation
Thousands of people have come to us for help over the years we’ve been fighting for the rights of people. Council data breach compensation claims are one of the most common types that we take forward and offer No Win, No Fee representation for.
For free, no-obligation advice about taking action for a local authority breach, please don’t hesitate to contact our team for help.