PRIVACY + SECURITY BLOG

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Tag: Harm

Archive of all posts about harm by Professor Daniel J. Solove for his blog at TeachPrivacy, a privacy awareness and security training company.

When Do Data Breaches Cause Harm?

Daniel Solove
Daniel Solove @danielsolove
Founder of TeachPrivacy
December 28, 2016

 

Harm has become the key issue in data breach cases. During the past 20 years, there have been hundreds of lawsuits over data breaches. In many cases, the plaintiffs have evidence to establish that reasonable care wasn’t used to protect their data. But the cases have often been dismissed because courts conclude that the plaintiffs have not suffered harm as a result of the breach. Some courts are beginning to recognize harm, leading to significant inconsistency and uncertainty in this body of law.

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4 Points About the Target Breach and Data Security

Daniel Solove
Daniel Solove @danielsolove
Founder of TeachPrivacy
February 3, 2014

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by Daniel J. Solove

There seems to be a surge in data security attacks lately. First came news of the Target attack. Then Neiman Marcus. Then the U.S Courts. Then Michael’s. Here are four points to consider about data security:

1. Beware of fraudsters engaging in post-breach fraud.

After the Target breach, fraudsters sent out fake emails purporting to be from Target about the breach and trying to trick people into providing personal data. It can be hard to distinguish the real email from an organization having a data breach from a fake one by fraudsters. People are more likely to fall prey to a phishing scheme because they are anxious and want to take steps to protect themselves. Post-breach trickery is now a growing technique of fraudsters, and people must be educated about it and be on guard.

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