What constitutes a data breach?

A data breach is defined as any incident in which unauthorized individuals gain access to sensitive, protected, or confidential data. This access can lead to various negative consequences, such as identity theft, financial loss, or the compromise of personal information. The primary concern surrounding a data breach is that sensitive information is accessed without permission, which violates the principles of data protection and privacy.

Routine data management audits, safe sharing of data, and compliance with data protection regulations do not constitute data breaches. Instead, they are practices that often aim to uphold data integrity and security. Audits are conducted to assess the effectiveness of security measures, while safe sharing of data involves following protocols to ensure that information is only shared with authorized users. Similarly, compliance with regulations is about adhering to established laws designed to protect data privacy and security. Therefore, only unauthorized access to sensitive data qualifies as a breach, highlighting the importance of safeguarding against such risks.