Medibank sought to provide compensation for data breach

ZDNET reports that Medibank, the largest health insurer in Australia, is poised to face a joint class action from law firms Centennial Lawyers, Bannister Law Class Actions, and Maurice Blackburn Lawyers aimed at seeking compensation for individuals whose data were compromised in a data breach last October. Tens of thousands of Medibank clients have already agreed to the class action, said the law firms in a joint statement. Such joint cooperation is being hoped by Bannister Law Class Actions' principal Charles Bannister to facilitate accelerated compensation for the 9.7 million current and former Medibank customers impacted by the incident. Maurice Blackburn's head of class actions Andrew Watson also emphasized the collaboration's goal of expediting compensation for the breach victims. "We believe the data breach is a betrayal of Medibank's customers and a breach of the Privacy Act. Medibank has a duty to keep this kind of information confidential," said Bannister.