There have been some very high-profile data breaches in recent years involving a wide range of businesses, either where a mistake has been made by the company or they have not had sufficient security processes in place to keep customers protected.

Breaches also take place outside of businesses, as they can happen anywhere that personal data is stored. A recent worrying example is a case involving NHS Highland, which involved the details of 284 patients being sent to members of the public.

NHS Highland’s chief executive Pam Dudek confirmed that the details included contact details, date of birth and the name of their clinic. She stated that no medical information was included apart from the clinic name. 

This issue is not the first time a data breach has occurred involving NHS Highland, as an email including the email addresses of people who have HIV was shared in error when an invitation to a support group was sent out.

These are just a couple of examples of how a data breach can happen and the impact that it can have. If you have been affected by a data breach similar to these incidents then Emerald law can help you to claim compensation for your experience.