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Notice of a personal data breach (affected individuals)

  • Clear and easy to complete
  • Practical help for your business
  • Helps you comply with your UK GDPR obligations

This template Notice of a personal data breach (affected individuals) will allow you to produce a letter to send to any individuals who have been affected by a personal data breach in your business, where their personal data has been accidentally or illegally destroyed, lost or disclosed.

You have a legal requirement to inform affected individuals where the breach carries a high risk to their rights and freedoms. In the most serious cases, failure to notify the affected individuals of a personal data breach can result in a significant fine.

You can also purchase this document as part of the Data breach toolkit.

Q&A

  • When should I use this document?

    Use this document when you become aware that there has been a personal data breach in your business, and there is a high risk to the rights and freedoms of the individuals who have been affected. You must notify the individuals involved without delay.

  • What does this document cover?

    This notice, or letter, informs the individual concerned that there has been a data breach, and includes the following information:

    • a summary of the incident;

    • details of the personal data that has been affected;

    • steps the individual should take to minimise the risk of the current breach and any future breaches; and

    • steps your business is taking to contain the breach and minimise risks.

  • Why do I need this document?

    You have a legal obligation to inform affected individuals without delay where there has been a personal data breach in your business, and it poses a high risk to their rights and freedoms.

    This template letter will help you fulfil that obligation by guiding you through the information that is required.

  • Where can I find out more?

    For detailed guidance on data breaches in general, see Data breaches.

    For further information on your obligation to notify those individuals who have been affected by a data breach, see Obligations when a data breach occurs.

Related Toolkits

Data breach toolkit

This data breach toolkit guides you through the steps you need to take when you become aware of a personal data breach (such as a staff member sending customer information to the wrong person, or a device containing customer information being lost or stolen). It includes a how-to guide, as well as a pack of the relevant documents you are likely to need. In this data breach toolkit you will find: a personal data breach policy; a template notice for notifying affected individuals; and a template personal data breach register for keeping records of breaches. This data breach toolkit helps you to identify, assess and contain a personal data breach, inform the relevant people, and keep written records of the breach. By using this toolkit, you reduce your risk of being penalised by the ICO. Keeping on top of your data protection processes also helps to maintain your reputation and build customer relationships.
  • Personal data breach policy
  • Template personal data breach register
  • Notice of a personal data breach (affected individuals)
  • How-to guide: Data breach toolkit

Data protection policy toolkit

This data protection policy toolkit provides 8 data protection policy templates you are likely to need to comply with your data protection obligations. It also contains a how-to guide, which tells you how to use each policy. Data protection policies included in this pack can be customised for your business and include: Privacy policy Cookie policy Data protection policy Staff privacy notice Data subject request policy Data protection impact assessment policy Personal data breach policy Using this data protection policy toolkit helps you to ensure that your staff are aware of how to deal with customers' personal data, you protect your staff members' and customers' personal information, and your business deals with any personal data breaches or subject access requests efficiently. Complying with your data protection obligations not only means you will avoid being fined by the ICO, but you will also maintain your business's reputation and reduce the risk of staff or customers taking legal action against you.
  • How-to guide: Data protection policy toolkit
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookie policy
  • Data protection policy
  • Staff privacy notice
  • Staff recruitment privacy notice
  • Data subject request policy
  • Data protection impact assessment policy
  • Personal data breach policy

Data subject request toolkit

This data subject request toolkit guides you through the process of dealing with data subject requests (individuals' requests for access to, changing or deletion of their personal data). This toolkit contains a how-to guide as well as a pack of 22 relevant documents to cover various types of requests. The template documents you will receive in this toolkit include: policies and forms for dealing with data subject requests; letters for acknowledging receipt of a data subject request, verifying the person's identity and asking for further details; letters to give you extensions of time to respond; letters for responding to the request and explaining what further action you will take (such as correction or deletion of the data); letters for supplying data in response to portability requests; and more. By using this data subject request toolkit, you will comply with your legal obligations for dealing with data subject requests. This minimises the risk of someone making a complaint against you or you being penalised by the ICO. Having efficient and proper data protection processes in place also helps to protect customer data, ensure good customer relationships and maintain your business's reputation.
  • How-to guide: Data subject request toolkit
  • Data subject request policy
  • Subject access request form
  • Data transfer request form
  • Request form to correct inaccurate or incomplete data
  • Request form to delete data
  • Request form to stop using data
  • Letter acknowledging receipt of data subject request (and requesting verification of ID)
  • Letter asking for further information about a data subject request
  • Letter confirming no data held in response to data subject request
  • Letter explaining reasons for extension of time to respond to data subject requests
  • Letter to third party seeking consent to disclosure of information
  • Subject access request response template
  • Letter confirming that data processing has ceased
  • Letter explaining why data processing will continue
  • Letter confirming that data has been corrected
  • Letter explaining why data will not be corrected
  • Letter to party who has been supplied with data to confirm its correction
  • Letter confirming that data has been deleted
  • Letter explaining why data will not be deleted
  • Letter to party who has been supplied data to confirm its deletion
  • Letter supplying data in response to a portability request
  • Letter supplying data to a third party in response to a portability request

Small claims toolkit

This small claims toolkit guides you through the right process to follow if you want to make a straightforward small claim against someone, and contains a pack of all of the template documents you are likely to need. Use the small claims process to get back money you are owed for amounts less than £10,000 (for example, if a supplier has not sent you the right goods or you have not received payment from a customer). Documents provided in this small claims toolkit include: letter before action (also known as a letter of claim), which must be sent to someone before you sue them to set out what you are claiming; witness statement, which provides a template for any witness statements you are providing to ensure they are legally compliant; and letter of non-attendance for small claims hearing (if you want the court to judge your case on paper evidence rather than you attending a hearing). By using this small claims toolkit you can avoid the need to use a lawyer and maximise your chances of getting back money you are owed. It helps you avoid common mistakes that can reduce your chance of a successful claim.
  • How-to guide: Small claims toolkit
  • Letter before action
  • Witness statement
  • Letter of non-attendance for small claims hearing