Number of data breaches drops

Tuesday 06 October 2020

21 data protection breaches were reported in the two months leading up to 31 August, the majority of which related to personal data being accidentally sent to the wrong email address.

Just over half happened via email, while the next highest figure was made up of instances where data was sent to the wrong recipient by post.

The breaches were split over a variety of sectors, with the bulk of the incidents stemming from public authorities, retail and legal firms. 

However the period's reported breaches are the lowest on record. Although this appears positive, the Office of the Data Protection Authority is concerned it might be a result of under-reporting and a lack of engagement.

Pictured: Data Protection Commissioner Emma Martins.

"Whilst on the one hand we welcome the low numbers of breaches, we also recognise that our reporting figures are unlikely to reflect the true picture," said Data Protection Commissioner, Emma Martins. "Some organisations will suffer breaches but not be aware of them, and others may be aware but not report them.

"Awareness of, and ability to respond to, data breaches is essential for all organisations, not just because there is a legal duty to report them to the ODPA, but importantly because data governance is inextricably linked to business success.

"Organisations thrive on trust and confidence, so the way they look after people’s information is critical in building and maintaining both. We work hard to support and encourage the regulated community to deliver the highest standards of data protection. We also recognise that things do go wrong and that by engaging positively with organisations, we hope they will continue to trust us to handle breach reports in a constructive way and one which seeks to learn and improve."