The UK Court of Appeal found that individuals can be awarded compensation for breaches of data protection laws even where no financial damage exists. In a case where Google sought to block claimants from data protection claims, Vidal-Hall et al v Google, the Court of Appeal found the claimants could pursue claims seeking damages relating to Google’s bypassing of security measures on the Apple Safari internet browser.
The claims allege that Google introduced tracking cookies on Apple’s Safari browser in breach of Apple’s policies, which allowed Google to gather data users’ online behavior, including information about their financial status and ethnicity to be used for targeted advertising. The claimants argue the tracking caused them anxiety and distress.