Stewart Room writes about the first fines imposed by the U.K.’s Information Commissioner’s Office: I’ve heard two arguments that are critical of the ICO fines. They go something like this: (1) the fines were too low and (2) it’s wrong of ICO to fine a Local Authority when it didn’t fine Google. Let me try…
Category: Government Sector
UK: First monetary penalties served for serious data protection breaches
The Information Commissioner today served two organizations with the first monetary penalties for what he characterized as serious breaches of the Data Protection Act. The first penalty, of £100,000, was issued to Hertfordshire County Council for two serious incidents where council employees faxed highly sensitive personal information to the wrong recipients. The first case, involving…
UK: Council loses personal details of children in care
Stoke-on-Trent City Council has undertaken to improve the security of personal data held on portable media devices following the loss of a USB memory stick containing sensitive personal information of 40 children in their care, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said today. The ICO was made aware of this breach of the Data Protection Act…
Shaw airmen exposed to credit card fraud
Officials at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., are warning airmen to watch their credit card balances after reports of credit card fraud on base. The instances of credit card fraud involved 20th Force Support Squadron buildings at Shaw. No Army and Air Force Exchange Service facilities were affected, said Lt. Col. Belinda Petersen, spokeswoman at…
NC movers get apology for data breach
The N.C. Utilities Commission is eating crow after inadvertently posting a Greensboro moving company’s confidential information online in violation of the commission’s own privacy policy. The gaffe happens at a time when the commission has issued fines of up to $1,000 against more than 50 moving companies – and is threatening to yank their operating…
UK: Pc accused of lying to help lover ‘misused database’
A Strathclyde Police officer accused of lying to help protect his lover carried out a check on his partner using an official database, a court has heard. Det Supt Shona Bassano told Glasgow Sheriff Court that Pc Steven Smith searched for his boyfriend David Brydon on the Scottish Intelligence Database. Read more on BBC.