A personal data breach is where information that can be used to identify a person has been lost, damaged or disclosed when it shouldn’t have been.
A data breach can have a far-reaching ripple effect that can disrupt lives. For those in already difficult circumstances, the effects can be devastating and life-altering.
Data Breaches
Alarmingly, the recent Public Attitudes to Information Rights survey of 5,500 members of the public showed that 55% of adults have been affected by a data breach, 30% of those affected reported a negative impact such as emotional distress and lack of trust, yet 25% received no support from the organisations responsible.
A breach can have far-reaching ripple effects that can disrupt lives. For those in already difficult circumstances, the effects can be devastating and life-altering. Imagine a person who has recently escaped an abusive relationship, only to have their confidential address exposed due to a data breach. Or think about someone living with HIV whose medical information is accidentally disclosed. These are not rare or exaggerated scenarios - they are real, and they happen. Such breaches can lead to stigma, fear, discrimination, or even physical danger.
What can you do?
It can be really overwhelming to know where to look for information and what to do next. When people don’t know where to turn, they turn the ICO.
Would you know what to do if someone who used our services was concerned that their personal information had been shared without good reason?
We want to make sure you have the information you need to help them.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s data protection regulator, has created simple one page poster that sets out people’s options if they’re affected by a data breach. You can use this to quickly give advice or you can share it with the person so they have it for future reference. There is also a webpage with more in depth guidance and template letters here.
Please take a moment to familiarise yourself with the information and save it for future use. You can help to stop the ripple effect on someone’s life.
Further Information
Information about the ICO and how to protect your data
Resources and guidance on UK GDPR
I’m worried about how an organisation has handled my information, what should I do? | ICO
