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OPM Data Breach Lawsuit Tossed, Fed Plaintiffs will Appeal
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Joe Stanganelli
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Joe Stanganelli,
 User Rank: Ninja
9/26/2017 | 12:59:15 PM
Re: Interesting
Alas, the main reason it doesn't make sense is because reporters misreport and don't care enough to understand it themselves. (Scientists refer to this phenomenon as "Wet Roads Cause Rain".)

The law is not barring people from suing organizations who have wronged them by contributing to the compromise of their data. But if you have no actual damages to show/prove, then you generally have no remedy under the common law.

 A victim of actual identity theft or the like would have to be the plaintiff in such a case.

Does this seem draconian in the modern data age? Perhaps. But the common law doesn't concern itself with hypotheticals so much as actual damage. Maybe it's time for legislation to create a separate right of action for individuals independent of the common law, but fat chance seeing that, I suspect.

Joe Stanganelli
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Joe Stanganelli,
 User Rank: Ninja
9/26/2017 | 12:52:31 PM
Re: Interesting
That's not really the point. It's not about standing to sue.

The point is that one of the essential elements to prove a negligence case is damages. If damages cannot be proven/shown, then a negligence suit must fail as a matter of law.

And even other types of common-law actions generally won't yield favorable plaintiff results if actual damage cannot be shown.

And this will remain the case until and unless legislation gets passed giving private citizens a separate private right of action in these data-breach cases, with its own damages/award rubric that is independent of common-law actions.

(Disclaimer: This post/comment is provided for informational, educational and/or entertainment purposes only. Neither this nor other posts/comments on this website constitute legal advice or the creation, implication or confirmation of an attorney-client relationship. For actual legal advice, personally consult with an attorney licensed to practice in your jurisdiction.)
REISEN1955
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REISEN1955,
 User Rank: Ninja
9/25/2017 | 1:55:12 PM
One real question ... Thefr of "what" exactly
If a thief takes a physical thing - car, wallet, jewelry, etc --- then that can be defined with a serial number and such and retrieved, also with a hard currency value for the loss.   DATA is somehing else and to a degree, even a license plate on our car exposes us.  This is VISIBLE stuff, not hard value stuff, so what is stealing it?  Writing down with pen and paper?  Nope.  It gets nasty when thieves break into a secure value (Equifax) and steal data which is theft from Equifax of propety under contract.   Technically, the law should probably extend Contract law to include the invidiaul whose data has been compromised.  Fine legal argument there.  But a VALUE cannot be placed on the data UNLESS probably it is USED to something else.  Then the LOSS value kicks in.  If I have a lost credit card but do NOT use it, I have not invoked a loss per se.  I have no bought anything.  What harm then is done?  Now, if I then start to buy stuff ON the stolen card, a hard dollar value can be kicked in for recovery.  

Interesting fine points indeed. 
Dr.T
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Dr.T,
 User Rank: Ninja
9/25/2017 | 11:48:12 AM
Re: Based on outcome
“ An actor may wait weeks or months or have to dig through the 143 million stolen from Equifax before action is indeed taken” I would agree, otherwise why attack in the first place, they will eventually use it what they captured.
Dr.T
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Dr.T,
 User Rank: Ninja
9/25/2017 | 11:46:48 AM
Re: Based on outcome
“lack of evidence that attackers maliciously used the data in question but is there a statute of limitation for instances like this?” This would be a good question to ask, they may not have used it yet, that does not mean they will not.
Dr.T
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Dr.T,
 User Rank: Ninja
9/25/2017 | 11:44:51 AM
Re: Interesting
“Equifax should not be allowed to continue as a business” I think there should be consequence for them, we are not sue how secure other two credit status firms’s network.
Dr.T
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Dr.T,
 User Rank: Ninja
9/25/2017 | 11:43:17 AM
Re: Interesting
“This is a common probelm, the judiciary does not understand technology and they consequently make idiotic rulings based on that lack of understanding.” That makes sense. It would be hard to find a judge who understands the technology well enough tough.
Dr.T
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Dr.T,
 User Rank: Ninja
9/25/2017 | 11:41:55 AM
Re: Interesting
“ a precedent that Equifax will surely jump on to ward off the class action suits against them.” That would be my guess too. This will be a long legal battle I would guess.
Dr.T
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Dr.T,
 User Rank: Ninja
9/25/2017 | 11:40:13 AM
Re: Information vs Money
“The answer to your question is WHO was guarding the vault? Who has responsibility for the vault?” I would say that is the organization itself. Data maybe in all over the network, no breach should have happened.
Dr.T
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Dr.T,
 User Rank: Ninja
9/25/2017 | 11:38:51 AM
Re: Information vs Money
“information theft is invisible if compared to car or money theft” That makes sense however data/information is value to the owners of that, and stolen so there should be consequence on that.
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