3 Class Action Lawsuits Helping Canadians Who Value Privacy

Law Articles

While technology has its benefits, it can also have its disadvantages. When so much personal information is stored and exchanged electronically, data breaches are bound to occur. While data breaches are not new, as even before today's technology paperwork containing private information could be stolen, thieves can now steal data in ways they never could before. Several companies are under class action lawsuits for allowing the personal information of their customers to be obtained by crooks or simply lost. Be aware of these suits, so you can participate if your privacy was violated. 

1. Home Repair Store Malware

A popular home repair store was the target of a criminal who was seeking the credit and debit card information of unsuspecting shoppers. The determined credit- and debit-card number thief gained access to the numbers in September 2014 by using computer malware. Surprisingly, the thief was able to obtain the information of shoppers who had patronized the store for almost the entire six-month period prior to the breach. 

If you shopped at the store during that time period, then be sure to check your credit and debit cards for suspicious transactions, if you haven't already. Even if you don't locate any strange transactions, it is best that you have any credit or debit card that you used at the store during that period of time reissued with a new card number. 

The class action suit is not only open to people who had their card numbers or information used maliciously after the breach, but it is open to anyone who shopped at the store during that time. The suit is designed to help affected people receive compensation for the stress and trouble of replacing credit cards after the breach and the worry that their personal information may be used maliciously in the future. 

2. Student Loan Lost Hard Drive

While the fact that a retail store's payment system was hacked may have seemed inevitable to many, few people would ever expect the private information they provide the Canadian government to apply for student loans to be anything but secure. Unfortunately, while not the target of theft, the information of over a half-million Canadian student loan seekers was lost. 

A computer hard-drive containing the private information of every Canadian who obtained a student loan from the years 2000 to 2006 was lost by the government. This information included Social Security numbers, dates of birth, and other private contact information.

This data has yet to have been used maliciously, but if you are included in this group of loan-seekers and fear the information will some day be found by someone who will use it maliciously, then you are not alone. Speak to a lawyer about participating in one of the several class action lawsuits in the works that are helping people affected by this loss of data receive compensation for their current worry and potential future problems if this data is found and used against them.

3.  Elections Lost USB Drives

If the lost student loan information didn't surprise you, then the fact that personal voting information was also lost may. Elections Ontario has been accused of losing two USB drives containing the personal information of millions of Canadian voters. Not only is the loss of the USB drives surprising, but the fact that they were completely unencrypted and not even protected with passwords is alarming. That means that anyone with a computer can plug them in and access the information quickly and easily. 

Thankfully, this data only includes names, birthdays, and addresses, but this is still information that could be potentially used maliciously if it got into the wrong hands. 

If any of the above data breaches affect you, then you should feel good knowing that there are class action suits going on for all of them. If you value your privacy and want to ensure that it is protected more thoroughly in the future by private companies and the government, then you may want to speak to lawyers about getting involved in the lawsuits that affect you. 

29 October 2014