Marriott data breach fine set to be £99m

The provisional Marriott data breach fine is to be reportedly set at £99m, with news of this fine coming just days after the record-setting BA data breach fine.

This is another significant financial punishment issued by the UK’s data watchdog, the Information Commissioner’s Office. Marriott is understood to have expressed that they’re “disappointed” with the fine, despite the severity of this breach the fact that information had been exposed for such a long period of time.

These first major GDPR fines show one thing: that the ICO mean business when it comes to using the new legislation that came into force in May 2018.

Marriott data breach fine is significant

The provisional Marriott data breach fine is a significant one. The ICO now has the power to fine an organisations up to 4% of their global annual turnover, which is a huge increase on their previous powers where fines were limited to just £500,000.00.

Information Commissioner, Elizabeth Denham, said:

“The GDPR makes it clear that organisations must be accountable for the personal data they hold. This can include carrying out proper due diligence when making a corporate acquisition, and putting in place proper accountability measures to assess not only what personal data has been acquired, but also how it is protected.

Personal data has a real value so organisations have a legal duty to ensure its security, just like they would do with any other asset. If that doesn’t happen, we will not hesitate to take strong action when necessary to protect the rights of the public.”

What about compensation for victims?

Money from the Marriott data breach fine isn’t designed to be used to compensate the victims of the data breach. Money from financial punishments usually goes to the treasury, with damages for those whose information was exposed treated as a separate issue.

And that’s where we come in.

For years, we’ve been fighting for the rights of data breach victims. With compensation a separate matter to the fines, our role is to represent the victims on a No Win, No Fee basis with the aim to secure them compensation.

Does the Marriott data breach fine help the legal action?

Although compensation is treated as a separate thing, the Marriott data breach fine can be useful in  the fight for damages for victims.

The fine shows that the hotel chain has failed in their duty to protect the data that they process and store. That can also mean that victims are entitled to make a claim for compensation as well.

For free, no-obligation advice about starting a legal case, make sure you contact the team on 0800 634 75 75 or complete an enquiry form now.