Data breaches are a serious threat in today’s digital age, especially for nonprofit organisations. While much attention is given to high-profile cyber attacks, internal staff members sometimes mishandle personal data in their care, creating a digital nightmare.
One of the more common data breaches involves unauthorised access to databases containing sensitive service user information. These incidents have consequences, including distrust in the organisation affected and, in some cases, prosecution.
In this blog, we look at the impact of a breach at a local authority where a staff member misused personal data by accessing it without justification.
Background
Organisations are expected to have appropriate security and technical measures to ensure the security of individuals’ personal information. Still, many do not put tight reins on access controls or implement staff training and processes within teams to help prevent data breaches.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) recently prosecuted a former social services council employee for viewing sensitive information about several service users on the council’s case management system.
An internal council audit revealed that the employee had unlawfully, that is, without any legitimate reason, accessed the records of 145 people.
The employee appeared before a Magistrates Court in September 2023, admitting to unlawfully obtaining personal data in breach of section 170 (1) of the Data Protection Act 2018. He was fined and ordered to pay over £400 in costs.
When people entrust organisations with their sensitive personal information, they expect it to be treated with the utmost privacy and processed in a way that complies with data protection laws. It is wrong to snoop at people’s personal information without a valid reason. This can result in losing your job as well as being prosecuted.
How can we prevent data breaches?
There are many ways to help prevent data breaches, and we strongly recommend implementing the following measures. This can help detect and prevent any malicious activities at an early stage.
- Limit access to personal data: Only grant access to personal data to authorised staff members who need it for their work.
- Train staff on data protection: It is a requirement under the UK GDPR that staff members receive regular data protection training, understand how to identify and report data breaches and process personal data in line with your charity’s data protection policies and procedures.
- Review and update systems and processes: Conduct periodic reviews and audits of the systems and processes that handle personal data. Identify any risks or gaps and take corrective actions to minimise the risk of a data breach.
- Report: Record any data breaches that occur (regardless of the severity) and report them to the data protection officer as soon as you become aware of them.
Get support and further advice
Our team of Data Protection specialists work exclusively with charities and nonprofits and are here to assist organisations with any current challenges they face with data protection compliance; this includes carrying out data protection audits so that you have a better understanding of where your organisation is in terms of data protection compliance.
For more information about the services our Data Protection specialists can offer, please click here. If you would like to speak to one of the team members to find out more, please get in touch.
