There’s a significant update to some data breach litigation that was revived last June. The American Optometric Association reports:
The National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO) will allot $3.25 million in a cash settlement fund to compensate some 61,000 victims of an alleged data breach that gripped the profession in 2016.
In a court ruling posted March 7, Chief U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar of Maryland gave preliminary approval to the class action settlement that not only establishes a means of financial reimbursement and credit monitoring services for affected individuals, but also outlines steps NBEO will take to significantly upgrade its data security practices.
The class action settlement comes nearly three years after large numbers of optometry students and doctors of optometry nationwide began reporting identity theft, particularly stolen Social Security numbers (SSNs) and other personal information used to apply for Chase Amazon Visa credit cards. Following the breach, thirteen doctors of optometry filed three separate actions against NBEO-since consolidated into the current case-claiming the targeted information was available and maintained by the testing organization as a requirement for certifying exams and credentialing. However, the NBEO still disputes it was the source of the breach.
Read more on the American Optometric Association.