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Leeds Arts University Data Breach Compensation Claims Guide – How Much Compensation Can I Claim? – Amounts For Leeds Arts University Data Breach

Leeds Arts University Data Protection Breaches

While this article is about making compensation claims for data breaches by Leeds Arts University, the details we’ll provide could be relevant to any higher education establishment.

The data that universities retain is an important tool to help them function properly. However, if that information reached the wrong hands, it could cause the individuals involved a lot of harm. We’ll look at the types of problems that could result from a data breach and explain when you could be compensated for them.

Leeds Arts University data breach claims guide

Leeds Arts University data breach claims guide

As you’re likely aware, the General Data Protection Regulation (or GDPR) has changed a lot of things since it was enacted into UK law by The Data Protection Act 2018. These new laws mean the companies who use your personal information (data controllers) must ensure you know why and obtain your consent.

Additionally, if they store any personal information about a data subject, they need to keep it securely. Any breaches of data protection laws could land the organisation with a massive financial penalty from the Information Commissioner’s Office. Moreover, you may be able to make a data breach compensation claim for any harm caused.

Legal Expert is here to help you claim. Our advice team offers a no-obligation assessment along with free claims information. If your claim seems viable, you could be referred to a specialist solicitor. Any case taken on by our team will be handled on a No Win No Fee basis.

For more information on how we could help you start a claim, please call us on 0800 073 8804. To find out more before calling, please continue reading.

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A Guide On Claims For Data Breaches By Leeds Arts University

As the new data protection laws have been introduced, the way in which we do many things has noticeably changed. For instance, if you visit a website for the first time, register with a dentist, buy something online or sign up to a university course, you’ll be asked to state your marketing preferences.

You’ll notice this in pop-up boxes, tick boxes on forms and whole sections which relate to how your data is going to be used. That’s because the new legislation requires you to be told when your personal information is required, how it will be used and when it will be shared with others. You also have to grant permission for it to be used.

After you have supplied your preferences, the organisation must only use your information in the ways you have agreed to. Furthermore, they need to implement procedures and processes to try and keep it safe.

If a security breach happens which results in your information being leaked, you could start a compensation claim for any harm caused. Moreover, the organisation responsible could be fined by the ICO.

There are time limits that apply to data breach claims. Generally, there is a 6-year limitation period. However, claims resulting in a breach of human rights only have 1-year to be made. To give your solicitor as much time as possible to gather evidence to support your claim, we’d advise starting the case as soon as you can. In the same way, you’ll probably find it easier to remember how you’ve suffered.

Please get in touch with Legal Expert if you have any further questions or if you would like to begin a claim.

What Are Data Breaches By Leeds Arts University?

It is quite common to think of hackers, viruses, phishing emails, ransomware, malware and other cybersecurity issues when we talk about data breaches these days. They are all reasons why a breach might happen, but the GDPR doesn’t just cover digital information. It also protects physical documents too.

Therefore, if a company stores personally identifiable information on paper but disposes of it in an unsecured manner, a data breach is likely to have happened if the information makes its way into the public domain.

According to the GDPR legislation, data breaches are events which happen when a security problem causes your personal details to be accessed, lost, destroyed, altered or disclosed to an unauthorised party. The ICO could investigate any type of data protection breach whether it is illegal, deliberate or accidental.

Data controllers are obliged to tell the ICO about data breaches and begin their own internal investigation. If any data subjects are put at risk by the breach, they have to be told how the breach happened, when it took place and the information which was accessed.

If you are worried that you’ve suffered harm following a data breach, please call our team of advisors today.

How Does The GDPR Affect Universities?

The reason that the GDPR affects universities is that they hold personal information about staff, students, alumni and others (such as for research purposes). By definition, that makes them data controllers.

All data controllers are bound by a set of principles relating to the processing of data. That means they have to show that they comply with a set of strict rules when using data. They must:

  • Tell the data subject about why their personal information is required.
  • Ensure data processing is carried out legally, fairly and transparently.
  • Only gather the information that’s required and nothing more.
  • Process data securely and confidentially.
  • Not retain your personal information any longer than it is needed. However, there is no time limit defined within the GDPR.
  • Use methods which allow any personal information to be kept up to date.

Personally identifiable information means any data that, if accessed, could directly or indirectly help to identify a data subject. The list of information could include staff ID numbers, student enrolment numbers, names, phone numbers, addresses and other contact details. Additionally, it could include information that identifies protected characteristics such as age, sexual orientation, disability or ethnicity.

For more details on proving a claim for data breaches by Leeds Arts University, please speak with an advisor today.

Did The Blackbaud Data Breach Affect Leeds Arts University?

Leeds Arts University was not affected by the Blackbaud hack in 2020, which affected many UK educational establishments.

Blackbaud supply database systems to many organisations including those in the higher education sector. Many universities use their software to help keep in touch with their alumni.

In May 2020, Blackbaud’s backup servers were hacked and the company became aware that some of the data stored on them had been downloaded. They were later approached by the hackers with a ransom demand.

As required by the GDPR, Blackbaud investigated what had happened and contacted affected parties during July 2020. At that time, the universities and others affected provided advice on what to do to anybody who was potentially affected.

The information thought to have been leaked were low-risk data that did not include password or banking details.

While their actions are not recommended by the police and other crime prevention agencies, Blackbaud decided that paying the ransom was the easiest way to resolve the matter. When doing so, they received assurances that the stolen data had been rendered useless.

If you suspect that the Blackbaud hack has affected you, please discuss your options with a member of our team.

How Many Universities Are Affected Data Breaches?

Now we’d like to look at how often data breaches happen in UK universities. While we don’t have access to every case that’s been reported to the ICO, a recent study performed by a data security firm has provided some startling figures. They include:

  • Just 51% of universities involved in the study provide proactive data security training to students.
  • The annual training budget for staff relating to data safety averages out at just £7,529 per university.
  • 27% of the universities who responded had never conducted a penetration test of its IT network.
  • 46% of university staff had not been offered any security training in the last year.
  • Amazingly, 54% of universities had been required to contact the ICO to inform them of data breaches within the last 12-months.

This study was based on Freedom of Information requests made to 86 Universities.

Source: https://www.redscan.com/media/The-state-of-cyber-security-across-UK-universities-Redscan-report.pdf

If you have been the victim of a data breach involving a university, let us know how you were harmed and we’ll review your claim for free.

Cybersecurity And Criminal Breaches In Data Protection

So, as we’ve demonstrated already, data breaches involving universities are increasing. As the amount of data held increases and we become more reliant on technological solutions, steps need to be taken to try and prevent further breaches. Some practical measures that could help include:

  • Applying the very latest security patches to IT systems as they become available.
  • Training students, staff and contractors on data safety measures.
  • Using encryption to make hard disks unreadable if a device is lost or stolen.
  • Hiring an external IT security firm to check the university’s infrastructure for weaknesses before they are spotted by hackers.
  • Managing, reviewing and regularly updating data protection policies.

You might think that the cost of these actions might be prohibitive. However, budgets need to include enough funds to help universities improve data protection measures. Otherwise, they might end up paying the even higher cost of an ICO fine.

How Do I Know If I Could Be Compensated?

We’re now going to look at what sort of things it’s possible to claim compensation for following data breaches. Remember, you can only claim if you have been harmed in some way. For financial harm, material damages might be claimed. For psychological harm such as anxiety or depression, non-material damages could be claimed.

When claiming for material damages, you’ll usually start by calculating any money that has already been lost. If there is a potential for further losses later on, these could be considered too. For instance, if your personal data has made its way on to the dark web, you might need to calculate a potential loss that might occur in the future.

In the same way, claims for non-material damages would usually commence with injuries that you have already been diagnosed with. An independent medical advisor might also assess if your symptoms could mean there is an adverse effect on your ability to deal with life, attend work or manage relationships in the future.

As you can see, the picture that we are building is that claiming compensation for data breaches can become rather complex. Therefore, we’d always advise you to let a legal specialist represent you. It’s important to include everything in your claim as you’re not able to seek further damages later on.

If your case is accepted by Legal Expert, we’ll provide you with a specialist solicitor who will work tirelessly to try and make sure everything is covered in your claim.

To find out whether we could provide a solicitor to represent you, why not call our team today?

Leeds Arts University Data Breach Compensation Calculator

We now want to move on and look at the amount of compensation you could be paid for injuries caused by a personal data breach. Obviously, we can’t tell you exactly what amount you might receive until your case has been assessed. However, this section should give you some idea.

In an important legal case (Vidal-Hall and others v Google Inc [2015]) heard by the Court of Appeal, it was decided that unlike some types of claim, you are able to receive compensation for psychological harm even if you did not suffer financially. Also, the court agreed that payments for such injuries should be set at the same level as personal injury claims.

In the table below, based on the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG), you will see some example compensation figures for relevant injuries. Legal professionals often use the JCG to help determine compensation amounts.

Edit
Psychiatric Injury Severity Level Compensation Comments
Psychiatric Damage Severe £51,460 – £108,620 Due to the fact the victim won’t benefit from treatment and they will remain vulnerable, they will be given a very poor prognosis.
Psychiatric Damage Moderate £5,500 to £17,900 The victim will be given a more optimistic prognosis in this category but will struggle to cope with life, work and relationships.
Psychiatric Damage Less Severe Up to £5,500 Slight symptoms which fully resolve in a short space of time.
PTSD Moderately Severe £21,730 to £56,180 With the help of specialists, the victim will have some chance of improving following the initial significant suffering.
PTSD Moderate £7,680 to £21,730 Most serious symptoms will have resided and any which continue won’t be massively disabling.

To prove the severity of your injuries, you will need to be booked in for a local medical assessment as part of the claims process. At the meeting, an independent specialist will assess you by asking a series of questions. They may well also refer to your medical notes. Once the assessment has ended, a report will be compiled to be sent to your solicitor.

For more information on what you can claim for, please get in touch.

How Do I Claim If My University Has Been Affected?

Now that you’ve been informed about what data breaches are and when you’re able to claim compensation, you might now want to start a search for a suitable solicitor. While you could turn to online reviews (you’ll find ours here, by the way), ask a friend or colleague for a recommendation or scour your local high street, we have an easier solution.

If you contact our advice line, you’ll receive free legal advice, and your case will be reviewed without obligation. You can ask as many questions as you like during your call. If your claim is accepted, you’ll have a specialist lawyer appointed to your case.

Your solicitor will answer any queries that crop up during your claim, update you regularly and explain any legal terminology to you. The main role of our solicitors is to work hard to try and ensure that you are compensated correctly for your suffering.

Please get in touch with us today to see if your case could entitle you to receive compensation.

No Win No Fee Claims For Data Breaches By Leeds Arts University

We want to provide crucial access to justice for as many people as possible. That’s why we offer a No Win No Fee service for any compensation claim we take on. Not only will you find that your financial risk is reduced, but you will also be less stressed throughout the claim.

When you contact us about university data breach claims, a solicitor will, of course, need to check your claim’s feasibility. If they decide to take your claim on, they’ll prepare a Conditional Fee Agreement or CFA for you (also known as a No Win No Fee agreement). This contract will explain how your claim will be handled and, at the same time, will explain that:

  • Payment is not required before your claim can begin.
  • We won’t bill you for any solicitor’s fees or hidden charges while the claim is being processed.
  • If a claim fails, you will not be asked to pay any of your solicitor’s fees whatsoever.

If your case is won, and a compensation payment is received, your solicitor will retain a small portion of it to cover the cost of their work. Within your CFA document, this will be listed as the success fee. By law, any success fee is capped and the amount you’ll pay is clearly displayed in the CFA, so you’ll know how much it will be before you sign up to our service.

Why not let one of our specialists check your claim for you by contacting our advice team today?

Our Team Is Here To Help You

We’ve now covered everything we set out to at the beginning of this article about data protection breaches. If we’ve helped you decide that you might be eligible to claim and you’d now like to begin one, you can contact our team by:

  • Emailing us to explain how you have suffered in a message to info@legalexpert.co.uk.
  • Calling our advice line to register your interest to claim on 0800 073 8804.
  • Letting us know that you’d like to start a claim by completing our online claims form.
  • Using our online chat option to discuss your claim with an advisor.

We don’t want to waste your time when you contact us so we will be honest and open about your chances of winning your case. An advisor will begin the process by reviewing your case and supplying legal advice on your options. If the claim seems to be feasible, you could be directed to a specialist data breach solicitor. Any claim we take on will always be handled on a No Win No Fee basis.

Find Out More

We have now completed our article on beginning data breach claims against Leeds Arts University. Most of the information you’ll need can be found within the guide, but we have, in this section, linked to some resources that you might need to access during your claim.

Also, as we can help with other types of compensation claims, we have provided links to some of our guides too. If there is anything that you would like to know that we’ve not covered already, please feel free to ask an advisor.

Student Data Privacy Policy – The data protection policy of Leeds Art University.

Coronavirus And Data Protection – Advice for organisations and individuals about data protection matters during the global pandemic.

Anxiety Support – Information from the NHS about the services they provide for anybody suffering from anxiety, panic or fear.

Workplace Accident Claims – Details on how our team of solicitors could help claim for work-related injuries.

Car Accident Claims – Information on your rights to claim compensation for injuries sustained in no-fault car accidents.

Bus Injury Claims – Advice on starting a personal injury claim if you’re injured while travelling on a bus.

Other Useful Compensation Guides

Thank you for reading our guide on data breaches by Leeds Arts University.

 

Guide by Hambridge

Edited by Billing

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    • Patrick Mallon

      Patrick is a Grade A solicitor having qualified in 2005. He's an an expert in accident at work and public liability claims and is currently our head of the EL/PL department. Get in touch today for free to see how we can help you.

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