Data breaches and the GDPR

In legal terms, data breaches and the GDPR are closely linked. This is an element that is applicable in the Virgin Media data breach group action that we are working hard on.

Whenever an organisation or individual is sued for a data breach, they can be being held accountable for breaching the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This is the statute that governs data protection in the UK and was implemented in 2018 as part of wider EU laws.

We understand that the GDPR can be a somewhat mystifying area of law, and many people are unsure what their entitlements under the GDPR actually are. In the case of Virgin Media data breach, many affected victims may not even be aware of their right to claim compensation. We are here to alert everyone who had their data exposed as to their legal rights.

Data breaches and the GDPR – what are my rights?

The GDPR applies to all businesses and organisations in the UK. It sets out the universal principles and protocols which should govern third-party data handling, to make sure that all storage and processing of data handling is done so on a lawful basis. As such, no piece of private data can be viewed, sent, moved, or stored without a valid legal reason.

When linking data breaches and the GDPR, it is important to remember that every third party has a responsibility to protect your data sufficiently. As such, it does not matter if an external hacker or cybercriminal accessed your data, the blame can still fall to the hacked organisation if they are found to have breached the GDPR by neglecting data protection principles or having weak cybersecurity.

Making a GDPR claim and compensation pay-outs

The Virgin Media data breach is no different; Virgin Media failed to secure a database for a 10-month period, so they can be held accountable for the exposure of information to unauthorised third parties.

In cases such as this, victims can be entitled to make a compensation claim for factors such as:

• Involvement in the breach alone;
• Distress or worry caused;
• Diagnosed psychological conditions or injuries (e.g. anxiety disorder, PTSD);
• Lost earnings if you have had to leave a job or have time off;
• Any other losses or expenses resulting from the breach.

Claims can be valued based on the severity of all these different factors, and you only need to have been affected by one of these issues to be able to bring a potential claim.

Joining the Virgin Media Group Action

With regard to data breaches and the GDPR, making a compensation can be a key deterrent. If a company faces thousands of compensation pay-outs following a data breach, they may be unlikely to let the same mistake happen again.

As such, if you join the Virgin Media group action as an affected victim, you are not just making a personal damages claim, you are contributing to the fight to hold organisations accountable for data protection breaches.

We have years of experience in data breach claims and group actions, so you can trust us with your claim. With the wealth of evidence against Virgin Media and the high number of affected victims, we anticipate significant success for our claimants. As such, we are willing to offer No Win, No Fee legal representation to eligible clients.

Join the Virgin Media group action today using one of our simple sign-up forms here.

The content of this post/page was considered accurate at the time of the original posting and/or at the time of any posted revision. The content of this page may, therefore, be out of date. The information contained within this page does not constitute legal advice. Any reliance you place on the information contained within this page is done so at your own risk.