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At it once again
Leading on from my recent posts about data security, both nationally with the UK Government and internationally with Facebook I’m now getting somewhat jaded about the whole subject; it seems that almost everyday there’s some new story about data being treated irresponsibly some Government department that’s supposed to be looking after it.
Today we’re treated to two cases; the first is a little less HMG’s fault as it involves the theft of a Royal Navy laptop with details of around 600,000 people. Chances are, though, that as it was left in a parked car the thief wasn’t after the data, he just wanted the laptop to sell for drug money.
The second case is more serious, as it involves confidential documents from the Department for Work and Pensions being found on a roundabout near Exeter airport. Three things about this story are worrying; firstly that these documents should end in this place, secondly that similar documents were found in the same place only a couple of months ago and thirdly that no-one seems to know who should have been in control of the documents at the time they went missing.
I’ve asked this question before, but I’ll ask it once again; how can a Government that systematically and regularly fails to protect the data of its citizens, either through its own ineptitude or that of the outside companies it chooses to employ, really expect to be taken seriously when it says it can be entrusted with the type of data that its new ID card scheme will require?
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