Shurgard data breach compensation claims

Three years ago, the Shurgard data breach came to light, and we were soon contacted by those affected for advice about the incident. It was reported that employees within the company had fallen victim to data exposure after a needless but incredibly harmful email mistake was made by one of their member of staff.

Everyone has a right to feel safe and secure in their workplace, particularly where data protection is concerned. In fact, UK data protection law sets out the key principles that data controllers must abide by to protect the information they store and process. Where companies fail to keep data secure due to their own negligence, they may be in breach of the law.

If this is the case, victims of data breaches could be eligible to make compensation claims. We have been helping those affected by data security incidents to recover damages for several years, and we want to ensure that victims of the Shurgard data breach can also access the justice that they deserve. And we can offer No Win, No Fee agreements to eligible clients.

The Shurgard data breach – what information was exposed?

The severity of the Shurgard data breach is demonstrated by the type of information that was exposed in it. All data breaches can have harmful implications, but where the exposed information is particularly sensitive, the impact on the victims can be even more severe.

The spreadsheet information leaked by Shurgard included employee information relating to:

• attendances;
• grievances;
• health problems;
• suspensions;
• attitudes;
• competencies;
• employees’ potential for progression;
• concerns over skills;
• investigations into employees;
• probationary periods data.

This highly private information is typically kept among HR staff and managers, so it was likely distressing for employees to learn that many of their colleagues may have accessed the data. Other people do not have a right or need to know such information, but this happened as a result of the data breach that occurred.

Employee errors and data breach claims

In the Shurgard data breach, the spreadsheets containing employee data were leaked due to an email error made by another employee. The employee is thought to have intended to deliver the data to HR staff or managers but, instead, a number of employees received the email when they should not have done.

However unintentional this error may have been, this does not mean that Shurgard does not bear responsibility for the incident. In fact, if the company had used something as simple as password protection on the spreadsheet, those who received the spreadsheet may never have been able to open it. This is in addition to checks and procedures on how data like this should be transferred from one person to another more safely and securely.

Those affected by the Shurgard data breach still have an opportunity to claim compensation. If you were impacted, you could receive thousands of pounds in compensation for any distress caused.

Make your data breach claim

As specialists in data breach claims, we strongly believe in the importance of holding data controllers to account for their negligence. We have, therefore, been representing clients for privacy matters since 2014, and have participated in some of the most significant data breach group actions in England and Wales, including those against Virgin Media and British Airways.

If you were affected by the Shurgard data breach and you wish to seek justice, contact our specialist team for free, no-obligation advice on your case. We may be able to help you on a No Win, No Fee basis.