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Liberal Democrats Data Breach – Can I Claim Compensation?

You may be wondering what steps you could take should a Liberal Democrats data breach occur that affects your personal data. A personal data breach can have serious consequences and impact your mental health as well as your finances.

Liberal Democrats data breach

Liberal Democrats Data Breach – Can I Claim Compensation?

This guide will explain data breach terminology, with definitions for terms such as personal data, special category data, and personal data breach. Following this, we will discuss the ways in which a personal data breach could impact you.

The Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA) and the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) make up the regime that is in place to safeguard the personal data of those who live in the UK. We will explain how this legislation protects your data and provides the right to claim compensation throughout this article.

Our advisors are here to help if you would like more information on the steps you could take should a Liberal Democrats data breach occur. Get in touch today for a free consultation or to access free advice:

Select A Section

  1. What Could A Liberal Democrats Data Breach Be?
  2. What Data Could Be Involved In A Potential Liberal Democrats Data Breach?
  3. How Could I Be Affected By A Liberal Democrats Data Breach?
  4. How To Claim Compensation For A Political Party Data Breach
  5. Calculate Compensation For A Liberal Democrats Data Breach
  6. No Win No Fee Claims For A Political Party Data Breach

What Could A Liberal Democrats Data Breach Be?

A personal data breach occurs when a security incident affects your personal data; in particular, the integrity, availability, or confidentiality of it. For example, unauthorised access to personal data could constitute a data breach, as could personal data being sent to the wrong address; however, neither of these instances will automatically mean a breach has occurred. We will define personal data in the following section.

Data processors and data controllers must both ensure that they adhere to data protection legislation. The party that makes the decisions regarding the use of personal data is the data controller. They decide how and why data will be processed. A data processor is a party that processes data on behalf of the controller.

Under Article 82 of the UK GDPR, you may be able to make a claim for compensation if:

  • The breach is a result of the data controller or data processor’s wrongful conduct
  • It involves your personal data
  • This leads you to experience harm

This applies whether the breach was performed with ill intent or whether it was the result of human error.

Get in touch with our team for information on what you could do should a Liberal Democrats data breach occur that impacts your personal data.

What Data Could Be Involved In A Potential Liberal Democrats Data Breach?

Personal data is any processed information that can identify you as a living person. This includes when it is used alone, or when it is used in combination with other information. As such, some examples of personal data that a political party might process could include your:

  • Credit card information
  • Home address
  • Full name
  • Phone number 
  • Email addresses

Special category data is a subcategory of personal data. However, this kind of personal data needs extra protection. This is because the nature of this data is sensitive. Special category data can include personal data relating to your:

If this data is compromised in a security incident, causing you harm, then you may be able to make a personal data breach claim. Get in touch with our advisors to get started, or read on to find out how a potential Liberal Democrats data breach could affect you.

How Could I Be Affected By A Liberal Democrats Data Breach?

You can be affected both psychologically and financially by a data breach.  A data breach can be an extremely stressful experience, and as such, can result in psychological harm. For example, you may suffer from depression, anxiety, or stress due to a breach because you worry about the effects of it or are concerned about how safe your data is. You could also claim if a breach has caused your existing mental health problems to get worse. 

The effects of a data breach can also be financial. If a data breach has compromised your financial information, it could make you vulnerable to fraud or identity theft. For example, if your credit card details are exposed, this could allow cybercriminals to make purchases in your name. This can lead to debt in your name, and damage to your credit score.

If you have evidence that a Liberal Democrats data breach has caused you harm, contact our team of advisors today.

How To Claim Compensation For A Political Party Data Breach

There are various steps you can take if your personal data has been exposed in a breach. Firstly, we recommend making a complaint to the organisation responsible for the data breach. They should be able to give you information about what data has been compromised and how. If communication with the company or organisation has halted or is unsatisfactory to you, you can open a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). You should do this within three months of the last time you had a meaningful communication with them. 

The ICO is an independent organisation based in the UK. They uphold data protection legislation, and they can investigate a breach. If they find the organisation to be at fault, the ICO can then issue a fine against them. They cannot award compensation, however. 

If you are looking to claim compensation, our advisors can help. They can offer free advice and more help when you get in touch.

Calculate Compensation For A Liberal Democrats Data Breach

Data breach compensation is calculated on a case-by-case basis, and there are two potential heads of claim that you could pursue. These are compensation for material damage and non-material damage, and they address financial and psychological harm, respectively.

Below, you can find some examples of guideline settlement figures from the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). The JCG helps solicitors and other legal professionals assign value to settlements by providing guideline amounts for a number of psychological injuries.

Edit
Mental Health Illness Compensation Brackets Description
Mental Harm: Severe £54,830 to £115,730 There is a poor prognosis, and the illness will impact all aspects of daily life.
Mental Harm: Moderately Severe £19,070 to £54,830 The person suffers from symptoms similar to the bracket above and has developed a long-standing disability. But, the prognosis is more optimistic.
Mental Harm: Moderate £5,860 to £19,070 An improvement has been made in the remaining symptoms. The prognosis is now determined to be good.
Mental Harm: Less Severe £1,540 to £5,860 This bracket gives consideration to the length of time affected by symptoms and the effect this has on your daily life.
Anxiety Disorder: Severe £59,860 to £100,670 Symptoms are permanent and can have a long-lasting impact on employability and the ability to function.
Anxiety Disorder: Moderately Severe £23,150 to £59,860 There is some chance of a better prognosis with professional intervention.
Anxiety Disorder: Moderate £8,180 to £23,150 A recovery is in progress, and the continuing effects aren’t grossly disabling as in other brackets.
Anxiety Disorder: Less Severe £3,950 to £8,180 A virtually full recovery leaves only minor residual symptoms.

Please note that these are not guaranteed amounts. They are only guidelines, and the actual compensation you may receive can differ.

Material damage could include costs and expenses like:

  • Money lost in unauthorised transactions
  • The cost of treatment for mental health conditions that the breach has caused
  • An impact on your credit score

If you would like to learn more, we have a team of helpful advisors available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

No Win No Fee Claims For A Political Party Data Breach

Conditional Fee Agreements (CFA) are a form of No Win No Fee arrangement and can allow you to access the work of a lawyer without making upfront or ongoing payments. With a CFA, whether or not you pay a fee to your solicitor typically depends on the outcome of your claim. If you have a successful claim, you must pay a success fee. This success fee is capped by legislation. But, if your claim does not succeed, your solicitor does not take a fee for the work they’ve done. 

Our solicitors could represent you under a CFA if you have a valid claim. To find out if one of our solicitors could help you, we recommend you contact an advisor from our team. They can offer free advice during a consultation, in which they can help you establish whether or not you have a valid claim.

To get in touch:

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Contact us today for more information on what to do should a Liberal Democrats data breach occur.

Written by Welsh

Edited By Hampton/Stocks