support
Send this page to a colleagueData quality news
Local Council leaks private data
Jan 4 2012, 13:52 PM
East Hertfordshire Council has published in depth personal details of members of the public, raising questions over data governance in the public sector.
Several National Insurance numbers, current and past addresses, complete contact details, dates, places of birth and previous names were revealed by the Council, which could potentially expose the individuals to identity fraud.
The personal details were part of a temporary event notices (TEN), which is an application form completed by members of the public looking to sell alcohol or perform music at events.
Nick Pickles, director of privacy and civil liberties campaign group Big Brother Watch, said: “The more personal information is collected by authorities, the greater the risk to personal privacy.
“The fact that councils felt National Insurance numbers were a necessary piece of information is worrying in itself, when it is absolutely not needed, but the fact they were so careless as to publish this information online is incredible"
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has received the complaint and are set to make enquiries into the case.
-
Learn how we can help you
achieve
data governance
- Download our product brochures
- See our products in action - watch our demos
- You can also call us on 0800 197 7920 or email us direct
Related articles...
-
Do new data protection laws have too many loopholes?
- Apr 27 2012, 13:58 PM Do new data protection laws have too many loopholes?
-
Data breaches 'can cause reputational damage'
- Apr 24 2012, 11:11 AM Data breaches 'can cause reputational damage'
-
Facebook reviews its data protection policies
- Apr 13 2012, 16:16 PM Facebook reviews its data protection policies
For more data news, you can choose a category of your choice using the filter functionality on the right hand menu
