Liverpool John Moores University Data Breach Compensation Claims Experts

100% No Win, No Fee Claims
Nothing to pay if you lose.

  • Free legal advice from a friendly solicitor.
  • Specialist solicitors with up to 30 years experience
  • Find out if you can claim compensation Call 0800 073 8804

Start My Claim Online

Liverpool John Moores University Data Breach Compensation Claims Guide – How Much Compensation Can I Claim? – Amounts For Liverpool John Moores University Data Breach

My Data Was Exposed By A Liverpool John Moores University Data Breach, Could I Make A Claim?

This article is about data breach claims against Liverpool John Moores University so we’ll look at what harm could result from a data protection breach and when you might be entitled to claim data breach compensation.

Whether you realise it or not, if you are a member of staff, a student at a university, alumni or a donor, a lot of your personal information will be held on file. Even though it is required to aid the functioning of the university, safeguards must be put in place to stop your information from being accessed illegally.

Liverpool John Moores University data breach claims guide

Liverpool John Moores University data breach claims guide

There have been many changes to the way in which personal information is handled since the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation which you’ll probably know as the GDPR. Together with The Data Protection Act 2018, these laws mean you have an unprecedented level of control over how your information is used.

The new rules mean data controllers (universities in this case) need to tell data subjects (students, staff etc) when their data will be used and get permission to do so. Furthermore, they have to keep safe any data that could identify a data subject. Organisations who break data protection laws could face a fine from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and you could start legal proceedings if a personal data breach causes you to be harmed.

Why not let Legal Expert assess your claim today? You’ll be given free legal advice and could be paired with a No Win No Fee data breach solicitor if your claim is taken on.

To begin a claim with Legal Expert right away, please contact our advice centre on 0800 073 8804. Otherwise, please read on to learn more about university data breaches.

Select A Section

A Guide To Data Breach Claims Against Liverpool John Moores University

It is a fact of life nowadays that just about anything you do will involve a GDPR interaction. Whether you are booking an appointment, joining a gym, hiring a car or shopping online, you will be asked to confirm something about how your information will be used. That’s why you’ll see privacy statements, tick boxes and pop-up boxes on most forms these days.

The reason why that happens is that it is a requirement of the GDPR for you to a) be told about why your data will be used and b) asked to give your permission for its use.

After you’ve set your preferences, the data controller must take steps to ensure your data is not used for any other purposes. Moreover, they are required to implement procedures to try and keep it safe. If that doesn’t happen, and your personal data is exposed, you could be entitled to claim compensation and the ICO could investigate what happened.

There are time limits that apply to data breach claims. Generally, a 6-year limitation period applies but that could be reduced to just 1-year should the claim revolve around a breach of human rights. In most cases, the earlier you begin the better. That’s because it’s likely that you will find it easier to talk about the impact of the breach and your lawyer could find it easier to get hold of supporting evidence to substantiate your allegations.

We are here to help you start a claim. Once you have completed this guide, please get in touch with one of our specialists to ask any questions or to start your data breach claim.

What Are Data Breaches By Liverpool John Moores University?

We live in a world filled with technology that helps make life a lot easier in many cases. However, that doesn’t mean data breaches are only concerned with cybersecurity matters like phishing emails, viruses, keyloggers, malware, spyware or ransomware demands.

The GDPR also protects physical documentation as well. For example, if a company disposed of paper staff records in the normal rubbish instead of having them securely shredded and the information got into the public domain, a data protection breach might’ve occurred.

Within the many pages of the GDPR, personal data breaches are listed as events which take place because some sort of security problem allows a data subject’s personal information to be destroyed, disclosed, altered, lost or accessed by an unauthorised party.

The way in which the breach occurred is somewhat irrelevant as the ICO could investigate deliberate, illegal or accidental acts. When a breach occurs, the data controller should initiate an internal investigation. Data subjects who are potentially at risk need to be told what information was disclosed, when the breach took place and how it occurred.

If you would like our help to assess your case, please call our advice line and let an advisor review your claim on a no-obligation basis.

How Universities Have To Adapt To The GDPR

There are many rules and regulations assigned to different roles within the GDPR document. Data controllers, for instance, must show that they are complying with the following principles when processing data:

  • All data subjects have to be informed about why their information is required.
  • Processing data must be conducted in a legal, fair and obvious manner.
  • There must be a way for any personal information to be updated.
  • Storing personal data any longer than necessary is not allowed.
  • When processing data, the methods used should be confidential and secure.
  • The absolute minimum information should be processed to fulfil the objectives.

The GDPR also explains that personally identifiable information must be secured. This is any data that could be used to try and identify a data subject (either directly or indirectly). Examples include student enrolment numbers, employee numbers, names, telephone numbers and email or home addresses. Additionally, if any data relating to some protected characteristics are stored, this should be protected too. For instance, data relating to race, disability, sexual orientation or age could help identify an individual.

For advice on starting data breach claims against universities, why not call our advice line today?

Examples Of Data Protection Breaches By Universities

We are now going to look at a personal data breach which had the potential to cause problems for many universities in the UK. The incident happened when Blackbaud, a supplier of cloud-based database solutions, was hacked in May 2020.

The company provide databases to many universities to allow them to maintain contact with their alumni, fundraisers and supporters. The company were contacted by hackers to demand a ransom for data they had downloaded from them which related to many of Blackbaud’s customers.

After an investigation, the company confirmed the data had been stolen from its backup servers. At this point, universities and other customers who were affected were contacted. In turn, the universities needed to let their alumni (and any others who might’ve been impacted) know about the breach and what to look out for.

The exploited information was thought to include contact data relating to former students as well as staff, current students and financial supporters.

However, Blackbaud took the unusual step (which is not recommended) to pay hackers the ransom they had asked for. In return, assurances were provided that the information had been deleted and was unusable.

Details: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-53528329

If you suspect that you have suffered following any type of university data breach, why not contact our team to discuss your options?

Rates Of Breaches In Data Protection By Universities

We have demonstrated what harm data breaches can cause but just how common are they? Well, according to a study by a network security firm, they have been quite prevalent in recent times. Their study says that:

  • Over half of the universities involved in the study had reported personal data breaches to the ICO in the past 12 months (54%).
  • 27% said that their IT infrastructure had never had a penetration test performed on it.
  • The average annual budget to train staff on data security methods was only £7,529 per university.
  • Nearly half of the responses said students aren’t offered proactive security training (49%).
  • 46% of staff had not been given data awareness training in the last year.

The study was based on responses by 86 universities.

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

Reducing Criminal Breaches In Cybersecurity

As you have now seen, data breaches involving information held by universities do happen and they appear to be becoming more common. We are by no means security experts but there are some recognised practices which could help reduce such breaches. They include:

  • Encrypting disks in portable devices so that data can’t be accessed if they are stolen or lost.
  • Keeping data protection policies up to date.
  • Training all members of staff as well as students and contractors on data protection measures.
  • Only allowing devices on to the network if they have been fully patched with the latest security updates.
  • Hiring a network security specialist to conduct a penetration test of the IT infrastructure. This process can spot weaknesses before they are exploited by criminals.

There are many reasons why these measures might not have been adopted already but the main one is usually down to a lack of money. However, this type of investment can prevent the harm caused by data breaches and also stop universities from receiving a financial penalty from the ICO.

Ways In Which People Could Be Compensated For A Data Breach

It is now time to review what you could claim compensation for. Unfortunately, you don’t just put a claim in for a set amount of money you’d like to be paid. Any compensation request has to be justified by supporting evidence. Also, as compensation can only be claimed once, the claim must include any potential future harm as well.

Mostly, claims will consist of two main elements. Material damages are claimed when you have lost money or suffered financial harm following a personal data breach. Non-material damages are requested if you have suffered psychological injuries which could include stress, anxiety or depression.

When you begin to calculate financial losses associated with the breach, you will start with money that has already been lost. Then, you would look at any costs that could be incurred in the future. This could account for additional costs you incur when taking out financial products because your personal information is still circulating on the dark web.

In a similar fashion, claims for non-material damages would usually begin with any diagnosed psychological injuries. For example, if you develop Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) because of the breach, you may have problems working, managing relationships or coping with everyday life.

Convincing the defendant’s lawyer that you will suffer in the future, and assigning a value to that suffering, can be tricky. That’s the reason we would advise appointing your own legal team.

If your case is accepted by Legal Expert, we’ll provide an experienced solicitor who will try to ensure every aspect of your suffering is considered and use their expertise to try and achieve a full compensation payment for you. Please call our friendly team today for further information.

Claims Calculator For Data Breaches By Liverpool John Moores University

We have now demonstrated why data breach claims are possible and what compensation you could claim. Therefore, this section is going to look at potential compensation figures for psychological injuries. Although we can only provide personalised estimates when we’ve spoken with you, the information offered here should give you some idea of what might be paid.

Importantly, following the case of Vidal-Hall and others v Google Inc [2015] in the Court of Appeal, it is now possible to seek compensation for psychological injuries without having suffered financially. The court ruling also said that payments for such injuries should be made with reference to personal injury cases.

Therefore, we have supplied the following table that shows figures from the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). The JCG is often used by legal specialists working in personal injury law to help determine compensation levels.

Edit
Injury Severity Level Settlement Bracket Detailed Explanation
Psychiatric Injury Severe £51,460 – £108,620 The victim is going to remain vulnerable as treatment won’t help. The marked problems coping with life, work and relationships will result in a very poor prognosis.
Psychiatric Injury Moderately Severe £17,900 to £51,460 This category will see similar significant problems like those listed above, however, the prognosis will more optimistic.
Psychiatric Injury Moderate £5,500 to £17,900 The prognosis in this category will be good because, although problems similar to above will have occurred, there will have been a good level of improvement.
Psychiatric Injury Less Severe Up to £5,500 Minor psychiatric symptoms that resolve fully in a short space of time.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Moderately Severe £21,730 to £56,180 There will be very serious problems caused by PTSD for the foreseeable future. However, with professional help, victims in this category should see some improvement.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Moderate £7,680 to £21,730 The majority of serious symptoms will have been resolved. Any that continue won’t have a major negative effect on the victim.

When you make your claim, you will need evidence to demonstrate the severity of your suffering. That’s why, during the claims process, you will need to attend a local medical assessment.

At your appointment, an independent expert will assess your suffering by asking a series of questions. They could also review your medical records. After the meeting has finished, they will prepare a report that will be sent on to your solicitor. We should point out that a medical assessment is required for all data breach claims.

How A Lawyer Specialising In Data Breach Claims Could Help You?

If you’ve absorbed the information in this article about data breach claims against Liverpool John Moores University and are now contemplating starting a claim, you might be considering talking to a solicitor next.

How do you pick the right one though? You might search locally, read online reviews, or ask friends to recommend one, or you could make a simple call to Legal Expert.

We offer free advice on making a claim and you can ask as many questions as you need to. If you have a strong enough case, a solicitor could be appointed to work for you. They will be there to explain complex legal terms, answer questions and update you when the case progresses. As a rule, our solicitors will always try to achieve the maximum level of compensation possible in your case.

Please contact our advice centre today to see how Legal Expert could help you claim.

No Win No Fee Data Breach Claims Against Liverpool John Moores University?

If you are thinking that you’d like to start a university data breach claim, but you’re concerned about losing money, fear not. Our team of solicitors provide a No Win No Fee service for any case that is taken on. Not only does that mean you will have less financial risk when claiming, but it will also make the process much less stressful.

Before offering this service, a solicitor does need to check your claim has a reasonable chance of success. If they are willing to take the claim on, you’ll receive a Conditional Fee Agreement (or CFA) to sign. This contract will fund your claim and will clearly demonstrate that:

  • No fees are collected before the case begins.
  • You won’t need to pay solicitor’s fees or hidden costs while the claim is processed.
  • In the unfortunate event that your claim is lost, you won’t be expected to pay any of your solicitor’s fees.

The only time you’ll pay solicitor’s fees is if the case is won. That means that your solicitor will deduct a small success fee from any compensation that’s awarded following a successful case to cover their costs. This is a fixed percentage of your award that is listed in the CFA clearly. To put your mind at ease, success fees are capped by law.

To check if you could claim using a No Win No Fee agreement, why not call our advice line today?

Get In Contact With Legal Expert

You’ve come to the end of this article about your rights if you’re harmed by a Liverpool John Moores data breach. If you would now like to proceed and make a compensation claim with Legal Expert, you can start the process by:

There is no point in us wasting anybody’s time so our team will be honest about your chances of winning your claim. We begin by reviewing your claim in a telephone consultation. Then you’ll receive free legal advice about your chances.

If the case appears to have strong enough grounds, you could be partnered with a specialist data breach solicitor from our team. If they agree to work on your case, it will be conducted on a No Win No Fee basis.

References For Data Breach Claims

We have now covered everything we set out to in this article on data breach claims against Liverpool John Moores University.

In this section, we are going to supply some articles from external sources that you might need to refer to during your claim. Please let us know if you would like any further information at all.

Additionally, as Legal Expert can support many different types of claims, you’ll find some more of our guides listed too.

Data Protection Information – Information on how to contact the data protection officer at Liverpool John Moores University.

Time Limits – Information, from the ICO, on how long organisations have to respond to data protection requests.

Student Stress – An NHS article that provides tips on how students can manage stress.

Pedestrian Accident Claims – Details on how you could claim for injuries if you’re hit by a vehicle while walking.

Claiming For Head Injuries – A guide that explains when you might be compensated for head injuries.

Professional Negligence – Details of when compensation could be paid for suffering caused by negligent advice.

Other Useful Compensation Guides

Thank you for reading our guide to data breach claims against Liverpool John Moores University.

 

Guide by Hambridge

Edited by Billing

    Contact Us

    Fill in your details below for a free callback

    Trustpilot

    Meet The Team

    • 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.

      View all posts

    Our Top Legal Guides