UK Government Contractor loses Data on Criminals, page

UK Government Contractor loses Data on Criminals

news.bbc.co.uk

A contractor working for the Home Office has lost a computer memory stick containing personal details about tens of thousands of criminals.

The Home Office was first told by private firm PA Consulting on Monday that the data might be missing.

The lost data includes details about 10,000 prolific offenders as well as information on all 84,000 prisoners in England and Wales.

(visit the link for the full news article)

You've got to be kidding. Yet ANOTHER loss of data on behalf of the UK government. (The fact that the information lost relates to criminals is irrelevant. It is the principle that is at stake.)

This is becoming so frequent we need a new forum for this issue alone:

UK Government Data Loss

I kid you not.


news.bbc.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

reply to post by pause4thought

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Great news, I might be able to pass a CRB check now

Seriously, why does this come as no surprise?
The incompetence of these people is staggering and though only joking above, (or am I?), could we end up with Peadophile's being allowed to work with children etc?

Is it criminal negligence which could be punishable in a Court Of Law?
I doubt it, but should it be?

reply to post by Freeborn

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You raise some very important issues there. At least some people can see how important matters relating to data security are - or should be: the Home Office has proved itself so incompetent 'data security' is now a complete misnomer.



reply to post by redled

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The opposition should show its determination to embarrass the government into taking serious measures on this front now. Today, this week any opposition worth its salt should truly call the government to account over its dismal record.

We shall see. Over recent years the opposition has often seemed to lack real bite. (It may be a leadership issue.)



NB - the original article has been updated to include a radio interview with the Shadow Home Secretary. What he says is all spot on, but will he go beyond an impressive media interview (and political point-scoring) and bring the government to account in parliament - big style?

(There are still some who think parliament is more important than the media.)

Reply to deathpoet69


Hi. I hope you're sitting comfortably. As I understand it the loss does not mean that they do not possess other copies of the data. It just means the personal details of all these people are now effectively in the public domain. Cue headlines, job-losses, blackmail, vigilanteism and goodness know what else.

Do you have a Hamlet?






[edit on 22/8/08 by pause4thought]

reply to post by pause4thought

---

i had alreay made a topic on this

www.abovetopsecret.com...

oh well

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