Last Updated 3rd June 2025. This guide considers what you could do after a data breach via Dropbox. Are you curious about what you could do? You could be wondering if you are eligible to make a claim for compensation.
Using software such as Dropbox in a workplace, or anywhere, can be a useful tool for sharing information. However, doing this could put the personal information of those employees at risk of being involved in a data breach.
This guide has been created to help you understand how data breaches can occur via Dropbox and other software that is used within a workplace. It also includes information on what you can do if you have personal data compromised by a data breach. It will also introduce you to terminologies such as data subject, data processor and data controller.
4.8 (466 reviews) If any of the information that is present in this guide is helpful to you and you want to ask more questions. You can contact us today, and our advisors can aid you through the data breach claims process. This is how you can contact us:
- Phone – 0800 073 8804
- Live chat
- Via out contact page
Select A Section
- What Is A Data Breach Via Dropbox?
- What Data Could Be Stored On Dropbox?
- How Could A Data Breach Via Dropbox Happen?
- How Do I Claim If My Employer Breached My Data?
- Calculate Compensation For A Data Breach Via Dropbox
- Begin Your Claim Today
What Is A Data Breach Via Dropbox?
Essentially, if a security breach led to the unlawful or accidental loss, destruction, disclosure, access or alteration of personal information, this would be a data breach.
Personal information or personal data is information that can be used to identify you whether directly or in combination with other data.
The following terms are used when describing how data is managed.
- Data subject – the person that the personal information is about.
- A data controller – the organisation that decides how and why personal data should be
- Data processor – The organisation that processes data for the data controller.
If you are involved in a data breach, there is a time limit for making a claim. This is usually a time limit of 6 years.
What Data Could Be Stored on Dropbox?
With software like Dropbox, there are various ways information can be stored. It could include personal information, including special category data or criminal. Examples of data that could be shared through software such as Dropbox are:
- Full name
- Birth date
- Home address
- Email address
- Phone number
- Photographs where you could be identified
Connect with us today to find out whether you could be eligible to make a claim for compensation because of a third party’s data breach via Dropbox. Our advisors are on hand to discuss your claim and offer free advice on how you could proceed.
How Could A Data Breach Via Dropbox Happen?
Data breaches via Dropbox can happen due to human error on the part of the employer or other third party.
For example, the data subject could share information through the files on a programme such as Dropbox, with the confidence that their data is going to be secure. However, if the recipient accidentally sends that personal information to an unauthorised person, the personal data would be compromised.
Other examples of how a data breach could happen via Dropbox:
- Loss/theft of computer that contains personal data
- Incorrect disposal of software that contains personal data
- Failure to redact personal information when sharing information with others via Dropbox
- Alteration of personal data
Unauthorised Access
Statistics gathered by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) demonstrate the impact on different sectors. (The ICO is an independent body that enforces data protection legislation in the UK.)
In the first financial quarter of 2025, there was an overall total of 3,081 data breaches. 75% of which were non-cyber security incidents. There was an increase of 4% in the number of data breaches from 2024.
Unauthorised access is one of the ways that a data breach could occur. The statistics show that 11% of the data breaches were due to unauthorised access.
How Do I Claim If My Employer Breached My Data?
If a data controller or data processor has breached your personal information, and it has caused you financial loss or psychological harm, then you could make a claim for compensation. However, the breach would also need to be caused by the controller or processor’s wrongful conduct. For example, they may have provided substandard online security, which allowed a cyberattacker to access your personal data.
Your rights as a data subject are outlined in the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and in the Data Protection Act 2018.
If the data breach risks your rights and freedoms, the organisation should contact you and inform you of what personal data has been involved. The organisation should also report this data breach to the Information Commissioner’s Office within a time frame of 72 hours.
However, although the organisation has to inform the ICO, there may be a reason for the organisation not contacting you. It could be that your information wasn’t a part of the breach.
Furthermore, you could make a complaint to the ICO. The ICO could open an investigation into the complaint. The investigation could lead to the ICO issuing penalties, which can be to issue fines.
How Do I Prove My Dropbox Data Breach Claim?
If you have suffered a data breach via Dropbox, collecting evidence is an important step. Here are some examples of the proof which may help to support your data breach claim:
- Report findings by the ICO: You can report a data breach to the ICO within 3 months of your last meaningful communication with the organisation responsible for the breach. If the ICO choose to investigate, you could use their findings as evidence.
- Payslips, invoices and bank statements to demonstrate your financial losses due to the data breach.
- Medical records and psychiatric reports to highlight the mental trauma you’ve incurred.
- Records of any correspondence with Dropbox. This would serve to illustrate what kind of data was breached, how it occurred and what steps have been taken so far.
For any assistance in collecting evidence, reach out to our advisors now. They will do their best to guide you through the entire process.
Calculate Compensation For A Data Breach Via Dropbox
Calculating the amount of data breach compensation that you may be able to claim is dependent on several different factors. There are two types of damages:
- Material Damages
- Non-Material Damages
Non-Material Damages
You could claim for non-material damages. Essentially, if you suffer psychological damage because of the data breach, you could claim.
If you use the services of a solicitor to claim, they could use the guidelines that are produced by the Judicial College to help value your claim. However, the compensation brackets that are listed aren’t the total amount of compensation you could receive. Compensation claims can be valued on a case-by-case basis.
We also have included a compensation calculator for you to have a look through and use to help estimate your claim. You can also call our advisors so they can value your claim for free.
In the compensation table below, we’ve used examples of figures from the latest Judicial College Guidelines (JCG).
| Forms of Mental Health Issues | Brackets for compensation | Description of the mental health issues |
|---|---|---|
| Mental Health Issues and Material Damage | Up to £250,000+ | There are severe mental health issues along with some financial losses. |
| Psychiatric Damage: Severe | £66,920 to £141,240 | Large impact on the ability to work, focusing on life events and education. |
| Psychiatric Damage: Moderately Severe | £23,270 to £66,920 | Forms of stress, such as work-related, can be included in this bracket. |
| Psychiatric Damage: Moderate | £7,150 to £23,270 | A moderate recovery but there are still some lingering effects. |
| Psychiatric Damage: Less Severe | £1,880 to £7,150 | A full recovery with minimal symptoms. |
| PTSD: Severe | £73,050 to £122,850 | A permanent effect on the individual |
| PTSD: Moderately Severe | £28,250 to £73,050 | Less permanent effects that would improve with the aid of professional help. |
| PTSD: Moderate | £9,980 to £28,250 | A near full recovery but there would be some continuing effects - these would not cause a large disruption on life. |
| PTSD: Less Severe | £4,820 to £9,980 | A full recovery would be achieved, although some symptoms last for a period of one to two years. |
Material Damages
Material damages are the form that compensation can take if there is a financial loss that has been caused by a data breach. For example, credit card information could be leaked in a breach of data via Dropbox and could damage your credit score.
To find out more about the different types of damages you could claim for a data breach via Dropbox, why not get in touch? Our advisors can help you by providing you with more information and guidance on your claim. Furthermore, they could connect you with our solicitors if they believe that you have a valid claim.
Begin Your Claim Today
No Win No Fee agreements are a term that you might have seen when researching data breaches or personal injury claims. Conditional Fee Agreements (CFA) are a form of a No Win No Fee arrangement.
An unsuccessful claim would mean that you wouldn’t have to pay for the legal services you have used during your claim. However, if your claim is successful, then you would have to pay the solicitor’s fee. The fee is capped by law and only taken from the compensation after it comes through.
If you are looking to make a claim for compensation and need help on where you can start, contact us today. Our advisors are available to answer your questions. This is a service that is available 24/7. We have listed our contact details below.
- Phone – 0800 073 8804
- Use our live chat
- Use our contact page
Employer Data Breach Claim Resources
To end, we have collected some additional articles and guides from Legal Expert. The information that is contained within could be beneficial to your claim. Feel free to have a look through them.
- HR data breaches compensation claims guide
- How to report a data breach incident
- My employer exposed my mental health information in a data breach
Additionally, we have compiled some external resources for you to review.
Lastly, if you need any more information on a data breach via Dropbox, why not contact us today? Above are the contact details you can use to get in touch with us.
Written by Welsh
Edited by Victorine
