[Dataloss] UK: Police personal data found on discarded floppy

[Michael Hill, CITRMS]

We get that question a lot in our business and here's how we answer it.  

"Mr. (Business Owner) if I call into your business and ask for your home address and phone number, will you or whomever answers the phone going to give it to me?"   I think not.  The home address and phone number is just the first step to getting your identity stolen.






Michael Hill 
Certified Identity Theft Risk Management Specialist
IDT Consultants
404-216-3751


"If You Think You're Not At Risk, Think Again!"



----------------------------------------------------------------------------
    From: lyger at attrition.org
    To: dataloss at attrition.org
    Sent: 12/26/2007 9:56:31 P.M. Eastern Standard Time
    Subj: Re: [Dataloss] UK: Police personal data found on discarded floppy




    On Wed, 26 Dec 2007, Dan O'Donnell wrote:

    ": " <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/7160490.stm>
    ": " 
    ": "   Police data details found at dump
    ": " A senior police officer has apologised after confidential details of 
    ": " staff were found on a dump in Devon.
    ": " 
    ": " The details, on a floppy disk, included names, addresses, telephone 
    ": " numbers and ranks of employees of Devon and Cornwall Police.
    ": " 
    ": " The disk was in an obsolete computer that had been used by the force 
    ": " and had been sent for recycling.

    While losing the personal information of police officers is certainly a 
    concern due to the nature of their jobs, I've noticed other recent reports 
    of general "data loss" involving not much more than names, addresses, and 
    sometimes phone numbers.  Should this generally be considered "personal 
    information" if such data can usually be found in a phone book or 
    Google (for most people anyway)?  Just a thought and something we consider 
    when including (or not including) breach data on attrition's data loss web 
    page and database...
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