In this guide, we will discuss the potential steps you could take if your personal data was affected by a Conservative Party data protection breach. There is legislation in place that outlines the responsibilities certain parties have to protect your personal data. If these laws are not adhered to, this is a breach of data protection. In some cases, a personal data breach claim could be made after this occurs. However, there are several eligibility requirements that need to be met in order to do so. We will provide further guidance on these as you move through our guide.
Additionally, we will define what a personal data breach is, provide examples of how one could occur and discuss how it could affect you.
Furthermore, you can find information on data breach compensation, including the factors that can be considered when calculating how much you could potentially be owed.
To conclude, our guide will look at how a No Win No Fee solicitor from our panel could assist you and the terms under which they could offer their services.
For more information, please get in touch with an advisor. They can offer free advice and answer any questions you might have regarding the steps you could potentially take following a breach of your personal data.
To reach an advisor, you can:
- Call our advisors on 0800 073 8801
- Contact us online
- Use our live support feature
Select A Section
- Conservative Party Data Protection Breach – Could I Claim?
- What Information Could Be Affected In A Data Protection Breach?
- How Could A Data Breach Affect You?
- What Could You Do Following A Breach of Data Protection?
- What Could You Receive In Compensation Following A Successful Personal Data Breach Claim?
- Get Advice If You Have Been Affected By A Conservative Party Data Protection Breach
Conservative Party Data Protection Breach – Could I Claim?
The Data Protection Act 2018 and UK General Data Protection Regulation outline the responsibilities data processors and data controllers have with regards to processing your personal data. They each have a different role with the controller setting the purpose for processing and the processor acting on their instruction.
If they fail to adhere to data protection laws, their wrongful conduct could lead to a breach in which your personal data is compromised. This could result in you suffering emotional distress or financial damage. In these instances, you could be eligible to make a personal data breach claim.
A personal data breach involves your personal data being destroyed, lost or altered accidentally or unlawfully in a breach of security. It could also include your personal data being accessed or disclosed without authorisation.
If you have been affected emotionally or financially by a personal data breach and are able to satisfy the eligibility criteria laid out above, you may be eligible to claim compensation. However, you also need to ensure you start legal proceedings within the limitation period. This is generally 6 years, but can be reduced to 1 year if the claim is against a public body.
For more information about when you could be eligible to seek data breach compensation, speak with an advisor from our team.
What Information Could Be Affected In A Data Protection Breach?
Personal data is any information that can be used to identify you, including your:
- Name
- Email address
- Date of birth
- Phone number
- Postal address
- National Insurance number
- Debit or credit card details
Also, another type of personal data that, due to it’s sensitive nature, requires additional protection is called special category data. It can include personal data revealing a trade union membership and political opinions as well as biometric data that is used for identification purposes.
If you have evidence that your personal data was affected by a Conservative Party data protection breach, get in touch to see what steps you could take.
How Could A Data Breach Affect You?
If your personal data is affected following a breach of data protection, it could have impacted you in several ways. For example:
- Emotionally: If sensitive data is affected in a breach, you could experience anxiety, stress, depression, distress or, in more severe cases, post-traumatic stress disorder.
- Financially: If personal information relating to your finances is affected, such as your bank account or credit card details, you could suffer financial losses. For example, money could be moved from your account or loans could be taken out in your name.
Compensation could be awarded to address the way you have been affected, provided your claim meets the relevant eligibility criteria.
To find out whether you could have valid grounds to seek compensation to address the way a breach of your personal data has affected you, please speak with an advisor via the contact details provided at the beginning of our guide.
What Could You Do Following A Breach Of Data Protection?
There are several steps you could take if your personal data has been affected following a breach of data protection laws. For example, you can:
- Contact the organisation regarding the breach to find out more information about what personal information was affected and how it happened. You can do this via email or letter and keep a copy of the correspondence you have with the organisation to use as evidence.
- Acquire medical evidence, such as reports from a psychiatrist, to be used as evidence of any psychological harm.
- Keep a record of any financial losses incurred, such as via bank statements and credit reports.
Additionally, you could make a complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). The ICO is an independent body that is responsible for upholding the rights and freedoms of data subjects. If you report a data breach to the ICO, they may choose to investigate your complaint and can take enforcement action if they find an organisation to be in breach of data protection laws. You could use their findings as evidence of a data controller or processors wrongful conduct.
If you would like to discuss the potential steps you could take if you have been affected by a Conservative Party data protection breach, please contact our team.
What Could You Receive In Compensation Following A Successful Personal Data Breach Claim?
You may be wondering how compensation for a data breach is calculated. Generally, settlements can comprise compensation for the emotional harm you experienced because of the breach. This is referred to as non-material damage and can include instances where your mental health problems were made worse by a breach.
When valuing this aspect of your award, solicitors can use the list of guideline award brackets in the Judicial College Guidelines to help them. We have included some of the figures from this publication in the following table. However, you should only use them as a guide as they will differ to the settlement you could be awarded.
Compensation Table
Harm Type | Severity Level | Guideline Compensation Amounts | Additional Details |
---|---|---|---|
Mental Harm | Severe | £54,830 – £115,730 | The prognosis is very poor and the person has marked problems in relation to their ability to cope with different aspects of their life. |
Moderately Severe | £19,070 – £54,830 | A better prognosis but there are still significant problems coping with different areas of life. | |
Moderate | £5,860 – £19,070 | A significant improvement and good prognosis. | |
Less Severe | £1,540 – £5,860 | Consideration is given to how long the person is affected and to what extent. | |
Anxiety Disorder | Severe | £59,860 – £100,670 | Permanent issues that prevent the person from recovering to a pre-trauma level. |
Moderately Severe | £23,150 – £59,860 | A better prognosis than the bracket above because of the person seeking professional help. However, issues still persist and are likely to cause a significant disability for the foreseeable future. | |
Moderate | £8,180 – £23,150 | The person has made a significant recovery and if there are any ongoing issues, they won’t be majorly disabling. | |
Less Severe | £3,950 – £8,180 | A mostly complete recovery within a 1 – 2 year period. There are only minor issues that persist beyond this period. |
Can I Receive Compensation For Material Damage?
Your potential settlement could also comprise compensation for material damage. This is the financial losses you experienced as a result of the breach. For example:
- Money taken from your bank account
- Credit cards taken out in your name
As mentioned, evidence, such as bank statements, can help prove these monetary losses.
To find out how much compensation you could be awarded should your claim succeed, please get in touch on the number above. An advisor can offer to assess your case and provide a free personalised estimate of the award you could potentially be given.
Get Advice If You Have Been Affected By A Conservative Party Data Protection Breach
If you meet the eligibility criteria to make a personal data breach claim, you may benefit from seeking legal representation. Our data breach solicitors could offer their services, such as helping you to gather evidence and ensuring your claim is put forward within the limitation period, in a No Win No Fee capacity.
They may offer you a Conditional Fee Agreement which is a type of contract that means you can access your solicitor’s services without the requirement to pay them a fee upfront or as your claim continues. Additionally, you won’t need to pay for the work they completed if your case fails.
If your claim has a successful outcome, you will need to pay a success fee from your compensation. Solicitors will take this as a percentage. However, the amount they can take is subject to a legal cap as outlined in The Conditional Fee Agreements Order 2013.
Contact Us For More Information
We hope this guide on the steps you could potentially take if you were affected by a Conservative Party data protection breach has helped. However, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact an advisor. To do so, you can:
- Call our advisors on 0800 073 8801
- Contact us online
- Use our live support feature
Related Guides
Below, you can find more of our data breach guides:
- What are my rights after a school data breach?
- What are my rights after a university data breach?
- Can I claim for a recruitment agency data breach?
Furthermore, you can find more helpful reading:
- ICO – Your right to be informed if your personal data is being used
- National Cyber Security Centre – Information for individuals and families
- GOV – Top tips to stay safe online
If you have evidence that your personal data was affected by a Conservative Party data protection breach, get in touch to see what steps you could take.
Guide by JJW
Edited by MMI