Breach Notifications: Bliss or Burden?
Akshay Misra
AVP, Head of Cyber Incident Response and Document Review
Iota Analytics
Imagine your house has been burgled, but you don't realize it yet—how would you feel? This is similar to when your personal and health information is breached, and the organization fails to notify you. This is why a notification list is vital for organizations to ensure they comply with regulatory requirements for informing affected individuals.
In the context of a data breach review, a "Notification List" refers to the roster of stakeholders, entities, or individuals who must be informed of the breach. Creating a list of those impacted can be a daunting task for organizations. Not creating a comprehensive list can hinder the organization's ability to track and notify those impacted, potentially leading to regulatory non-compliance and substantial financial implications. Here’s why having an accurate list is crucial:
Compliance with Regulations: Many data protection laws require organizations to notify affected individuals and relevant authorities within specific timeframes after a data breach.
Effective Communication: The list ensures that notifications are sent promptly to all individuals whose data may have been compromised.
Managing Impact: A well-managed notification process helps in managing the firm's reputation by showing that it is addressing the breach responsibly and transparently.
Accurate Notification List: Managing the entire notification process is cumbersome, but critical at the same time as it provides a basis for follow-up actions, such as verifying that all notifications were received and addressing any questions or concerns from affected individuals.
Cost containment – Manual efforts put in creating the notification list really boosts up the overall cost of the project.
A Few Data Breach Compliance Requirements
As the famous Paul McNulty said: “If you think that compliance is expensive, try non-compliance.”
Breach Notification – a blissful journey!
When a data breach occurs, priority is to notify both regulators and affected individuals to avoid significant financial penalties.
At Iota Analytics, we are committed to providing precise and thorough notification lists using advanced processes and AI-driven technology. Our approach ensures complete coverage of all individuals impacted by a breach. By minimizing manual intervention and reducing errors, our technology lowers the costs related to notification management, including administrative time and potential compliance fines.
Through our strategic partnership with iCONECT, we utilize AI technology to reduce manual intervention by employing an auto-grouping mechanism that consolidates multiple entities identified during data extraction. This method is essential for maintaining list accuracy, avoiding duplicate notifications to the same person, and improving cost predictions. Our systems efficiently handle large volume of data, allowing for rapid creation and updating of notification lists, which helps organizations meet stringent regulatory deadlines and respond swiftly to breaches.
By leveraging AI, we create efficiency gains while enabling customization of the final notification list according to specific client requirements for each extracted PII and PHI field. Here’s how we help:
Reduced Manual Hours: Automation minimizes the need for manual data entry and communication, streamlining the notification process.
Cost Savings: By reducing the need for manual intervention, automation can lower the costs associated with breach notifications.
Enhanced Compliance: Automation ensures that notifications are sent within required timeframes, meeting legal deadlines and demonstrating prompt action.
Handling Large Volumes: Automated systems can efficiently manage notifications for breaches affecting large numbers of individuals, scaling to meet different levels of impact.
Reduced Complexity: We simplify the notification generation process by automating tasks and removing potential bottlenecks.
Best Practices
Timeliness: Notify affected parties as soon as possible to allow them to take protective measures.
Clarity: Provide clear and concise information about what happened, what data was affected, and what actions recipients should take.
Support: Provide help such as credit monitoring services or help desks for those affected by the breach.
Compliance: Adhere to relevant data protection laws and regulations regarding breach notifications (e.g., GDPR in Europe, CCPA in California).
How We Can Help
At Iota Analytics, we understand the importance of meeting regulatory deadlines for notifying affected individuals while keeping notification costs under control. To ensure legal compliance, safeguard those impacted, and uphold organizational trust, we focus on creating an accurate and efficient notification list with minimal manual effort. Reach out to learn more about our solutions and discover how you can manage breach-related expenses effectively.
