My data has been breached! Can I claim compensation?

You may have recently seen in the news that airline company EasyJet had suffered a cyber-attack affecting approximately nine million of its customers.

EasyJet confirmed on 19 May 2020 that email addresses and travel details had been stolen and that 2,208 customers had their credit card details accessed.

EasyJet who first became aware of the attack in January stated it would notify all of its customers who were affected by the cyber-attack by 26 May 2020.

In an email to customers EasyJet said “Once again, we’re sorry that this attacked has happened.”

They further advised customers to be aware of possible phishing attempts and to keep any eye on bank accounts for any potential unusual activity.

This is a further example which indicates organisations still have not fully got to grips with data protection law and ensuring they have rigorous systems in place to protect their customers’ data.

What is particularly concerning regarding the above incident is the large amount of customer personal data which was accessed.

If you have recently been informed by EasyJet that your details were affected by the cyber-attack then you will no doubt have concerns and have many questions about how this could happen and how

EasyJet intend on avoiding such happening again.

You have a right to claim compensation from an organisation if you have suffered damage as a result of your data having been breached.

This can include if you have suffered financially and also if you have suffered distress and worry as a result of the data breach.

We at Ben Hoare Bell LLP have an experienced Data Protection Law team ready to assist you in claiming compensation if your data has been breached.

If you wish to discuss a data breach please contact our Solicitors Richard Hardy or Andrew Freckleton to discuss further either by telephone on 0191 565 3112 or via email at advice@benhoarebell. co.uk. In the current climate we can offer appointments via telephone. For more information on Ben Hoare Bell visit www.benhoarebell.co.uk