Big GDPR fines and data breach compensation claims

In recent years, the development of data protection law has allowed for greater penalties to be issued by regulators. In 2018, the GDPR was introduced in the UK as part of a rollout across the EU and, since then, some organisations have been levied with big GDPR fines, sometimes even reaching the millions or tens of millions of pounds.

In the UK, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the official data protection regulator, has issued some fines using the GDPR, imposing serious punishments for the data controllers involved. As important as this enforcement action is, it does not automatically allow the victims of data breaches to receive the compensation they deserve.

At Your Lawyers, we are specialists in data breach claims and group actions, and we have been involved in some of the biggest data protection lawsuits of recent years. In these group actions, we fight to win compensation for our clients, who have unjustly had their privacy rights breached. If you were affected by the Virgin Media data breach, you may be able to claim in our group action today.

Big GDPR fines from recent years

The GDPR has only been in place for 3 years but, even within this time, there have been some big GDPR fines in the UK and across the EU. In fact, the UK has stood out among other European nations for its use of enforcement action powers in some ways. In 2020, the ICO reportedly collected approximately £39.7m in fines for breaches of the GDPR, falling second only to Italy, which collected around £52.6m.

Two of the most notable cases of big GDPR fines by the ICO are for data breaches for which we have brought group actions. In 2020, Marriott was fined £18.4 million for a cyberattack that exposed hundreds of millions of guest records. Though the attack began in 2014, the fine related to the breach that occurred after the GDPR was imposed. British Airways was also fined £20 million for failing to protect the personal and financial information of over 400,000 customers.

Data breach claims – getting compensation to the victims

Big GDPR fines like these can act as deterrents for companies, but it is also important to allow data breach victims to achieve justice as well. The GDPR, therefore, can allow those affected by data breaches to claim compensation for ‘material’ and ‘non-material’ damages that they may have suffered as a result. This can cover both financial loss and any distress suffered.

Most importantly, to enable as many victims to claim as possible, we can offer No Win, No Fee representation to eligible claimants in our data breach group actions. Access to justice is a key principle of our firm, so we want to remove as many barriers to claiming as possible.

Make your Virgin Media claim

If you were notified of your involvement in the Virgin Media data breach, now is your chance to claim compensation for the harm caused. To start your No Win, No Fee claim, sign up online today or contact our team directly for more information.

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