Dan Goodin reports: A judge has chastised a lawyer for including the social security numbers and birthdays of 179 individuals in an electronic court brief, ordering him to pay a $5,000 sanction and provide credit monitoring. US District Judge Michael J. Davis said he was meting out the penalty under his “inherent power,” meaning no…
Bord Gáis data security expert had laptop stolen – report
Elaine Edwards provides an update on a breach previously covered here and here: A staff member at Bord Gáis who downloaded personal data on more than 93,000 customers to a laptop that was subsequently stolen had specific responsibility for ensuring the protection of data, a report has found. A report on the investigation by the…
Woman admits selling IDs used for 'enhancements'
Kevin Amerman reports: A former Allentown woman who sold personal information from Lehigh Valley residents that was used to purchase penis enlargements and breast implants for accomplices has admitted her role in the conspiracy. Carniola Santana, 25, was sentenced today to four years’ probation by Lehigh County Judge Robert L. Steinberg immediately after she pleaded…
JP: Data leaked on mixi game users
A system bug in a popular farming game on the mixi social networking site led to personal details of as many as 4,200 users being leaked online, it has been learned. Phone numbers and e-mail addresses of users who made credit card purchases of special items in the Sunshine Bokujo (Sunshine stock farm) game were…
PA: Pandemic vs. privacy
JoAnn Seltzer reports: A proposal to allow the health board to establish penalties and remedies in pandemics drew questions by the City Council Monday. During a workshop session, Councilman Dick Dornisch said he has problems with the proposed ordinance. It would give the health board powers to prevent and control the spread of the disease….
EU: Telcos’ data breach notification amendment is passed
From Out-Law.com: The European Council has approved a data breach notification rule for Europe’s telecoms firms. The amendment to an EU Directive will force telcos to tell customers if they lose their data. The European Parliament and Commission have already approved the amendments, which will become law after it has been published in the EU’s…