The Government data loss thread

[Sheila Struthers]

STORK eID project, meet the pub car park...

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/09...u_data_menace/

Although the UK Government Gateway is the responsibility of the Cabinet Office, as part of their joined up transformational government initiative, we are actually represented at Project STORK meetings by IPS: "The UK’s Identity and Passport Service (IPS) is leading the pilot project, in close co-operation with the Government Gateway, the UK’s centralised registration service. 'It is about the eventual pan-European recognition of electronic IDs,' noted an IPS spokesperson."

[Ali P]

Just as well home educators backed up some copies of the 2007 DCSF guidelines on elective HE!

DCSF disappears EHE guidelines down the memory hole and Data loss at the DCSF.

[Diane]

And some people have already sent them to the Select Committee.

Diane
http://www.threedegreesoffreedom.blogspot.com

[noschool]

An NHS trust at the forefront of work on the £12.7bn NHS IT scheme has called in police after a breach of smartcard security compromised the confidentiality of hundreds of electronic records.

Police investigate NHS smartcard security breach as SCR launches in London

A spokeswoman for the trust declined to say how an employee with a smartcard was able to access information which was beyond the person's level of authorisation.

[Elaine Kirk]

And here we have another massive data loss

[Ali P]

Scores of Scottish ministers' files lost or stolen

Officials stressed the missing data was more likely to include policy documents than lists of personal data, such as addresses and bank account details, that could be used to commit identity theft.

A spokesman said data security is taken “extremely seriously”, adding: “In all of these cases there were thorough investigations to get to the bottom of why the data was lost.

“We have robust standards for data handling and we’re introducing measures to increase these standards even further.”

[Riaz]

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/21/20091228...n-6323e80.html

[Elaine Kirk]

Haringey again I see

An urgent review has been ordered after a confidential child protection report drawn up by staff at the council involved in the Baby P scandal was left on a train, a spokesman for the authority has said.

The 15-page Haringey Council file, which included details about a boy taken away from his mother over fears he could be abused, was found in a railway carriage in London.

A council spokesman said: "This is an isolated case, but of course the council is extremely concerned that sensitive papers relating to child safety appear to have been left on public transport."

[Sheila Struthers]

Transgressions mainly related to smut and snooping

Over 400 police officers and support staff were caught and disciplined for misuse of IT systems last year.

The real figure could be higher because some forces declined to provide information.

Apart from using work computers to access Facebook and smut sites, some officers and civilian workers were disciplined for inappropriate use of the police national computer.

In total 439 people were disciplined, according to documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act by the Daily Mail.

South Yorkshire fared worst - 53 staff were disciplined, including three caught accessing police systems "without a legitimate police purpose".

Some 47 forces provided information and on average each admitted to nine staff punished.

The Police Federation said it was surprised the figures were so high and suggested forces should be doing more to inform staff of what the rules were. ®

[Diane]

Quote: The Police Federation said it was surprised the figures were so high and suggested forces should be doing more to inform staff of what the rules were.

Oh, hardy, ha ha. As one who has worked as a civilian member of a police department, I can say they're amongst the biggest crooks going. Several young coppers I knew weren't averse to playing on the computer calling up people's details and showing off to whatever female happened to be around.

And they stole each other's property regularly.

Diane
http://www.threedegreesoffreedom.blogspot.com