The largest cybersecurity settlement to date is the Equifax data breach. The company has to pay at least $575 million in damages.
Your data is everywhere, especially since the world runs on computers. It’s easy to fall victim to a cybersecurity attack, even if the attack isn’t your fault.
Internet privacy laws are changing just as fast as technology. If your data got stolen or exposed in a privacy breach, do you have rights in the matter?
You certainly do. Cybersecurity law protects your rights in the digital world. Read on to learn more about this expanding area of law.
What Is Cybersecurity Law?
Cybersecurity law is a legal area that protects your rights and privacy. Companies have more control over your data than ever before.
With that control comes a lot of responsibility. It’s expected that companies keep your sensitive data safe and secure.
That’s difficult to do because data breachers hack a business every 11 seconds. Billions of records are stolen and sold each year.
There are a number of data privacy and cybersecurity laws that are supposed to help protect your privacy.
For example, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) lets consumers opt out of data collection activities. They can also ask a company to delete their data and ask to see the data a company has about them.
The law only applies to businesses with more than $25 million in annual revenue. It applies to smaller businesses that collect and sell information of more than 50,000 residents of California or gets half of its revenue from selling that information.
If you do business in Europe, you’ll have to comply with GDPR, which is similar to the CCPA. It does apply to businesses of all sizes that target customers within the European Union.
Can You Sue for Damages?
This is a growing area of case law. That’s because a cyber attack and ransomware impact you much more than the threat of ID theft.
It’s possible that someone gets your debit card information and drains your bank account. You could lose income because your computer was infected with ransomware.
Since this is a new area of case law, you should work with an attorney that works in negligent cybersecurity lawsuits.
The tough part of your case is proving that the company involved was negligent in keeping your data secure.
For example, if they used a simple password that got shared among several people, they could be found negligent. Another example is if they failed to install security patches.
There are cases that are so large, they become part of a class-action lawsuit.
You Do Have Rights Under Cybersecurity Law
Cyber attacks and stolen data are a way of life in today’s digital world. Fortunately, the legal landscape is changing to protect your rights.
If you suffered any sort of damages because of another company’s negligence, you may be able to recover financial damages under cybersecurity law. You should consult with an attorney to see what your legal options are.
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