As an update on a story reported here, BBC is now reporting that the computers stolen from the Department of Finance and Personnel in Belfast contained personal financial details: An email informed them that the computers contained information such as national insurance numbers and bank account details. It read: “Two of the laptops contained a…
Author: Dissent
ME: Printing glitch leads to ‘breach’
Betty Adams of The Kennebec Journal reports: Almost 600 people receiving unemployment benefits last week got direct-deposit information — including Social Security numbers — belonging to another person. Dick Thompson, head of the state Office of Information Technology, said the misinformation was sent out May 27 while the office produced material for the Department of…
UK: Sensitive information sent to wrong address
Liam Sloan of Newbury Today reports: A [West Berkshire Council] blunder led to intimate details of vulnerable youngsters being posted to the wrong person. Worlds End resident Alayne Summers was shocked to receive a torn, wrongly-addressed envelope containing 100 pages of highly-sensitive information about troubled pupils applying for places at West Berkshire schools. The documents…
The benefits of an opt-out policy
As a privacy advocate, I generally advocate for opt-in as opposed to opt-out policies. But here’s a report from the medical field that shows the potential benefits of opt-out. Micheal Carter of aidsmap reports: Implementing a policy of routine opt-out HIV testing led to the diagnosis of 3000 HIV infections in children admitted to hospital…
UK: Editors warned over Susan Boyle's privacy
HoldtheFrontPage.co.uk reports: The ongoing saga of singer Susan Boyle’s health has prompted the Press Complaints Commission to remind newspapers about possible privacy breaches by reporting her welfare. The Britain’s Got Talent star was admitted to a clinic in London on Sunday suffering from exhaustion after missing out on top spot in Saturday night’s final. Now…
Update: Virginia notifies residents of Prescription Monitoring Program hack
Bill Sizemore of The Virginian-Pilot reports that the state is sending breach notifications to 530,000 Virginians whose Social Security numbers may have been in the state’s Prescription Monitoring Program database that was hacked on April 30. An additional 1,400 users of the database who may have provided Social Security numbers when they registered for the…