One of the UK’s top law firms has launched a dedicated operation to help UK Facebook users claim compensation for the misuse of their personal data following the Cambridge Analytica privacy scandal.
Ashfords LLP, which has offices in the South-West as well as a significant presence in London, claims Facebook users could be in line for up to £12,500 each.
As part of its new scheme, the company has set up a claims hotline and a online enquiry form in response to the significant number of calls it says it has received from people concerned about personal data breaches.
Ashfords says the claims will be made under Section 13 of the Data Protection Act 1998, for distress caused by the improper use of data. It quotes figures which show that as many as 1 in 40 Facebook users could be entitled to claim.
The initiative will run on a no win, no fee basis.
Elizabeth Johnson, associate in the Ashfords insurance and liability claims team, said: “We expect the majority of cases will fall into the lower end of the scale of compensation but where significant distress has been suffered, perhaps because of the sensitivity of the subject matter, such as political views or sexual orientation, then the compensation could be more significant.
“A recent Court of Appeal case means that individuals no longer have to prove financial loss in order to claim for distress under the Data Protection Act. The potential risk for organisations which breach their data obligations could be far reaching. The Facebook claims could be the tip of the iceberg.”
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