DataBreaches.Net

Menu
  • About
  • Breach Notification Laws
  • Privacy Policy
  • Transparency Report
Menu

UK: ICO requires barrister to sign undertaking after theft of unencrypted laptop

Posted on December 7, 2011 by Dissent

The ICO has quietly announced that a London barrister, Richard Dominic Preston,  signed an undertaking following the theft of a laptop computer from Mr Preston’s  home. The laptop contained documents relating to cases on which Mr Preston had been instructed, together with email correspondence.

According to the undertaking, much of the data in the documents on the stolen laptop would be in the public domain as a result of being produced or read out in open court; however, the email correspondence was not publicly available.

At the time of the incident, the laptop was unencrypted as Mr. Preston claims he was then unaware that personal laptops could be encrypted. The thieves broke in through an upstairs window, despite the security locks in place, and stole the laptop together with other valuables.

This is not the first undertaking the ICO has issued for a barrister (see, for example, this blog entry and this one) and I continue to wonder at the apparent selectivity or bias as to what kinds of entities the ICO pursues.  Going after individual barristers for breaches when there are likely massive data breaches in the private sector does not strike me as a particularly productive use of the ICO’s resources.  How about sending a stronger message to businesses?

Related posts:

  • A few ICO undertakings that flew under the radar
  • UK: ICO finds three councils in breach of Data Protection Act
  • UK: Five councils, a youth charity, and a healthcare provider sign undertakings following data breaches
Category: Breach IncidentsMiscellaneousNon-U.S.Theft

Post navigation

← UK: Burglars steal equipment with 8,000 dental patients' information
ENPI Information and Communication hacked →

Now more than ever

"Stand with Ukraine:" above raised hands. The illustration is in blue and yellow, the colors of Ukraine's flag.

Search

Browse by Categories

Recent Posts

  • Texas Centers for Infectious Disease Associates Notifies Individuals of Data Breach in 2024
  • Battlefords Union Hospitals notifies patients of employee snooping in their records
  • Alert: Scattered Spider has added North American airline and transportation organizations to their target list
  • Northern Light Health patients affected by security incident at Compumedics; 10 healthcare entities affected
  • Privacy commissioner reviewing reported Ontario Health atHome data breach
  • CMS warns Medicare providers of fraud scheme
  • Ex-student charged with wave of cyber attacks on Sydney uni
  • Detaining Hackers Before the Crime? Tamil Nadu’s Supreme Court Approves Preventive Custody for Cyber Offenders
  • Potential Cyberattack Scrambles Columbia University Computer Systems
  • 222,000 customer records allegedly from Manhattan Parking Group leaked

No, You Can’t Buy a Post or an Interview

This site does not accept sponsored posts or link-back arrangements. Inquiries about either are ignored.

And despite what some trolls may try to claim: DataBreaches has never accepted even one dime to interview or report on anyone. Nor will DataBreaches ever pay anyone for data or to interview them.

Want to Get Our RSS Feed?

Grab it here:

https://databreaches.net/feed/

RSS Recent Posts on PogoWasRight.org

  • Germany Wants Apple, Google to Remove DeepSeek From Their App Stores
  • Supreme Court upholds Texas law requiring age verification on porn sites
  • Justices nix Medicaid ‘right’ to choose doctor, defunding Planned Parenthood in South Carolina
  • European Commission publishes its plan to enable more effective law enforcement access to data
  • Sacred Secrets: The Biblical Case for Privacy and Data Protection
  • Microsoft’s Departing Privacy Chief Calls for Regulator Outreach
  • Nestle USA Settles Suit Over Job-Application Medical Questions

Have a News Tip?

Email: Tips[at]DataBreaches.net

Signal: +1 516-776-7756

Contact Me

Email: info[at]databreaches.net

Mastodon: Infosec.Exchange/@PogoWasRight

Signal: +1 516-776-7756

DMCA Concern: dmca[at]databreaches.net
© 2009 – 2025 DataBreaches.net and DataBreaches LLC. All rights reserved.