Privacy
In today’s digital age, more personal information than ever is shared online and once it’s out there, it can be nearly impossible to contain. What was once private can become public in a moment.
At Taylor Hampton, our expert privacy & data protection solicitors in London handle all aspects of privacy law, misuse of private information, data breaches, and GDPR enforcement. Whether you’re a public figure or a private individual, we help you protect your private life, reputation, and data rights.
A person’s private life is meant to be just that,it is not meant to be public entertainment. Those who have experienced an invasion of privacy often describe feeling exposed, violated, and powerless. The law has evolved significantly in the last two decades from being an offshoot of the general law of confidence to a discrete tort of misuse of private information; capable of powerful protection by the courts.
We see all kinds of privacy intrusions:
Taylor Hampton has a track record of successfully acting in high-impact privacy cases from our work in landmark rulings such as Gulati v MGN, where there was a fourfold increase in privacy damages awarded by the court.
The best outcome often comes from acting before publication. Our privacy attorneys can:
Unlike in libel actions the court is not concerned in privacy cases with truth or falsity; if the information is deemed private (except for example in relation to public interest considerations) the courts will protect it.
Swift intervention can stop harm before it spreads.
If private information has already been published,“online or in print” we work to:
Even when content is posted anonymously, we can often unmask the author or intermediary and hold them accountable.
Privacy law alone doesn’t cover all forms of misuse. When personal data is processed unlawfully, data protection laws come into play under the UK GDPR / Data Protection Act 2018.
Your key rights under GDPR include:
If a data controller (e.g. a website, search engine, or publisher) fails in these duties, we can help you:
To pursue a misuse of private information claim (or breach of data protection), you generally need to show:
The law is technical, and each case depends on its facts — you should seek legal advice promptly.
If your private life has been exposed, time is of the essence. Contact Taylor Hampton’s expert privacy solicitors in London today for confidential advice and action.
It’s a legal tort protecting private or personal information from wrongful publication or exposure.
Typically up to six years from the date of publication (for misuse claims).
Yes — courts can order disclosure from intermediaries or platforms.
Often yes — via takedown requests, court orders, or data protection claims.
They may argue you had no reasonable expectation of privacy, or that disclosure is justified in the public interest (Article 10).
Taylor Hampton is London’s leading Award Winning Privacy, Defamation and Phone Hacking Solicitors.
Taylor Hampton have successfully acted in the following cases:
Sylvia Henry, the Baby P Social Worker, in her successful action against the Sun in relation to 80 highly defamatory articles. The Sun was forced to apologise to Ms Henry, both in Court and in print, and to pay her substantial damages and her costs.
Antonio Serrano, a GP, in his claim for defamation against the Daily Mail after the paper falsely ran a story condemning his treatment of a patient. The paper ran a story under the headline, “A whole year of hell, thanks to a foreign doctor”. Dr Serrano was fully vindicated by the Court and was awarded substantial damages and his costs.
Dr Sarah Thornton, an author and academic, who was libelled by the Daily Telegraph. This was a landmark case which changed the law. It led to the important test of “substantial damage to reputation” being required in order to found a libel action. This subsequently contributed to the enactment of the “serious harm” test in the Defamation Act 2013. It was also notable because general damages were awarded for malicious falsehood for the first time in many years.
Bruno Lachaux, a French aerospace engineer residing in the UAE, in his claims for defamation against the Independent Print Limited, the “i” Newspaper, the Evening Standard and AOL (UK) Ltd, otherwise known as the Huffington Post. This is another landmark case in the law of libel, having been one of the first to test the requirement for ‘serious harm’ under the Defamation Act 2013.