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US Judge Dismisses Action for Invasion of Privacy in Data Breach Incident
Two graduates of Ohio University recently had the lawsuit they launched against the University dismissed. The graduates’ personal information, including their social security numbers, was compromised when hackers gained access to the University’s servers. The personal information of almost 200,000 individuals was potentially compromised during the breach.
The students sought a court order that the University pay for credit monitoring services for those whose information was compromised. However, the presiding judge dismissed the suit on a motion brought by the University. The basis for the ruling was that no actual damages had been shown but rather, the claim was based merely on the plaintiffs’ fears. It may have been a factor in the court’s decision that the University had determined that the hackers’ purpose in accessing the University’s servers was to trade in movie and music files, and not identity theft. The logic underlying this decision is, however, questionable; the only prudent course of action for an individual whose information has been compromised is to monitor his credit. There is a cost associated with this, and but for the security breach, such a cost would not be incurred. There is no word yet on whether the decision will be appealed.
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