23.11.11
Councils losing sensitive data
Councils have lost sensitive data more than 1,000 times in the past three years, research by the campaign group Big Brother Watch shows – but only 55 incidents were reported to the Information Commissioner.
Laptops, memory sticks and mobile devices have gone missing or been stolen, with 132 councils admitting to 1,035 data losses of thefts between 2008 and 2011. The worst performing councils were found to be Buckinghamshire and Kent, which both lost data 72 times in the last three years.
Nick Pickles, director of Big Brother Watch, said: “This research highlights a shockingly lax attitude to protecting confidential information across nearly a third of councils.
“The fact that only a tiny fraction of staff have been dismissed brings into question how seriously managers take protecting the privacy of their service users and local residents.”
A spokesman for the Information Commissioner’s Office said: “It's vital that local authorities properly live up to their legal responsibility to keep personal data secure, particularly where it is sensitive information about children and young people.
“We’re calling for powers to conduct compulsory audits in the local government sector and will this week submit a formal business case to the Ministry of Justice asking the Government to give us such powers.”
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