No matter what sector, no matter what country, there are employees who can’t seem to resist misusing their access to databases for snooping or personal reasons. Today’s example involves the Gardai in Ireland:
Confidential information on six “high-profile” personalities on the Garda Pulse computer system was accessed “inappropriately” by members of the force.
The multiple access to their details was uncovered by auditors from the Data Protection Office.
The findings, in a report published yesterday, were described by Data Protection Commissioner Billy Hawkes and his team as “particularly disturbing” since none of the six had any known “major dealings” with gardai.
Details on one person, who worked in the modelling industry, were accessed more than 80 times while another personality’s data was accessed 50 times.
Read more on The Independent. Reportedly, the audit findings weren’t a shock to Garda authorities, who had already disciplined some employees for misconduct during the period audited and had implemented a directive monitoring access control more rigorously.
So… is your organization doing enough to prevent snooping or improper access to personal information?