More data lost

Now the UK Government has lost more data…

The memory stick contained un-encrypted details about [sic] 10,000 prolific offenders as well as names, dates of births and some release date of all 84,000 prisoners in England and Wales – and 33,000 records from the police national computer.

This is an absolute farce, encrypted data was supplied to this external contractor for the government, and then data was stored in an unencrypted form on a memory stick, and now that memory stick has been ‘mis-laid’. Firstly storing that kind of data in an unencrypted format is ridiculous. The person who did that should be fired.

The Government are quick to try and disassociate themselves with the leak, by blaming it all on the external contractor. This doesn’t change the fact that the Government are ultimately responsible, and it asks the question can the Government be trusted with our personal data? As I posted the other day, the Government want to create a database of all UK citizens calls, emails and Internet logs (http://www.brettjenkins.co.uk/blog/2008/08/20/uk-government-plans-spy-database/). Even if that law is passed, the Government clearly can not be trusted to protect that data!

All the data lost so far:

Nov 2007: 25m people’s child benefit details, held on two discs
Dec 2007: 7,685 Northern Ireland drivers’ details
Dec 2007: 3m learner drivers’ details lost in US
Jan 2008: 600,000 people’s details lost on Navy officer’s stolen laptop
June 2008: Six laptops holding 20,000 patients’ details stolen from hospital
July 2008: MoD reveals 658 laptops stolen in four years

I wonder who’s data the Government will lose next? The saga continues…

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7575989.stm (That Jacqui Smith interview is a must watch, how many times can she say an external contractor in one interview?)