Let’s face it. It has been a bad year in the UK for data loss. The BBC inestigative journos have uncovered reams of incidents where data was lost, stolen or otherwise compromised.
From BBC:
In November 2005 a problem with the staff intranet at Comhairle nan Eileann Siar (Western Isles Council) meant National Insurance, bank details and other personal information of all 3,000 staff was accessible.
A spokesman for the Comhairle said: “We are not aware of any problems for members of staff arising from this breach of security, which was promptly rectified.
“Action was also taken to prevent any recurrence of this situation.”
Breaches at other organisations include driving licences being lost in the post and computers and organisers containing personal information being stolen.
Lothian and Borders Police said productions containing the names of accused had been inappropriately discarded.
A force spokesman said: “In terms of the lost items, full-scale and comprehensive investigations were ordered, as was a complete review of information security measures throughout the force.”
Perth and Kinross Council said a USB memory stick was lost containing names and salaries, but later found.
And it goes on like this.
While it may seem self evident that data has to be protected, we still see story after story on this subject. What needs to happen in order to help folks en masse to improve their data protection? It can’t be highly publicized data compromises as we have seen so many of them to date. And it can’t be the tear jerking stories of grandma and grandpa losing everything to identity thieves. Sadly, that happens far too often.
So, what is the catalyst required to turn the tide?