Your personal data has no value.
Don’t take my word for it. Ask Judge Joanna Seybert of the Eastern District of New York.
She recently ruled in a class-action lawsuit against Michael’s — the arts-and-crafts store chain — that the plaintiff — Mary Jane Whalen, a woman whose personal information was indeed stolen from Michael’s — had suffered no specific loss nor any specific imminent damage that could be directly attributed to Michael’s.
For example, the people who copied her credit card number and tried to use it? Whalen is not responsible for the charges. Ergo, no damage. The money Whalen spent on credit monitoring services? Not sufficient to establish standing. The risk of future fraud? Purely hypothetical.
The actual value of her private information which is irrevocably available for purchase by the highest bidder? According to the court, zero.
So the next time you read about — or are impacted by — a data breach from a major corporation, don’t worry. They didn’t take anything of value. Just your private information, your home address, maybe your credit score.
You can read a a more detailed article or the full text of the court decision .
iraleen 