Campus Technology reports that a judge has dismissed the case of two Ohio University alums who wished to sue the university for damages when their personal information was obtained by hackers through a computer security breach.
[Plaintiffs'] Attorney Marc Mezibov told the Athens (Ohio) News that courts have been hesitant to acknowledge the harm done to a person whose personal information has been stolen in a computer breakin unless it can be tied to a subsequent instance of identity theft.
"It's frustrating," he told the News. "Courts are reluctant to grant the proposition that when personal data is lost ... there is harm," unless the consequences can be proved.
OU President Roderick McDavis sympathizes, but thinks the judge ruled correctly.
"I understand how people felt when they learned that their data may have been exposed, because I was one of those people. . . .It can be frightening to think your personal information could be vulnerable."
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