Our firm has welcomed the decision from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) to levy British Airways’s fine over their 2018 breach. We believe it is now time for the half a million BA customers affected by the breach to be compensated.
The fine for their data-protection law breach has been vastly reduced from £183 million to £20 million.
Case background
British Airways revealed on 7 September 2018 that there had been a breach of its security systems leading to over 400,000 customers and staff having their personal data leaked, including:
- Names
- Addresses
- Payment card numbers
- CVV numbers
- Usernames and passwords of BA accounts.
In July 2019, the Information Commissioner’s Office issued a notice of its intention to fine British Airways £183 million for infringements of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). However, the ICO last week confirmed that it had revised the fine down to £20 million, having considered representations from BA and the impact of Covid-19 on the business.
Under the EU General Data Protection Regulation (EU-GDPR), British Airways customers who have had their data compromised by this data breach have a right to compensation for non-material damage. This means compensation for inconvenience, distress, annoyance and loss of control of their personal data.
We are representing thousands of victims who have already joined the group action.
How to claim
If you received an email from the airline in 2018 notifying you that your data had been compromised, it is likely you are eligible to sign up.
It is probable that the email had the subject line, ‘Criminal Theft of Customer Data, more information.’
All affected customers from around the world can join the claim on a no-win, no-fee basis, whether the exposure of their personal data has led to significant ill effects or not.
