ID cards database breached by nosey council staff
Mark Ballard writes in Computer Weekly:
Staff at 30 local authorities have been responsible for “serious security breaches” in the government database that will form the core of the national ID cards programme.
Local authority staff have viewed sensitive personal records on the Customer Information System (CIS) run by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), it emerged today.
The database contains information on nearly everyone in the UK, including all benefit recipients, pensioners and anyone with a national insurance number.
Routine checks have unearthed security breaches by staff at 30 local authorities since 2006, who accessed personal records “without business justification”.
February 25th, 2009 at 13:20
Why am I not surprised?
Why was I not surprised that it happened?
Why am I not surprised that it is only being reported in the specialist/technical press?
Why will I not be surprised when a politician says that no sensitive information was accessed, and that no confidentiality was breached?
Why will I not be surprised when Alistair Campbell tries to bury the story, just like other bad news?
Why do I despair?
February 26th, 2009 at 14:01
And this is the really ingenious thing about the NIR.
We don’t have to worry if at some distant point in the future, some theoretical totalitarian government comes to power in the future and gets their hands on this centralised behemoth of a database.
Instead, the BNP, criminals, corrupt civil servants or general nosey parkers can get jobs working for local authorities or the police, and get their hands on the data without the trouble of ever having to gain national influence.
But I’m sure that won’t happen, because Labour says there are stiff penalties for misuse. So thats ok.
March 2nd, 2009 at 10:37
Doesn’t surprise me one bit – I personally know of one case where a DWP employee used pensions data to stalk an ex-partner of hers (by obtaining her parents details)
It only came to light as the woman bragged about it in front of others and even then the DWP only took it seriously when the entire affair became a police matter due to other actions the woman took. She was reported for other offences and ended up with details of the breach showing up witness statements, when the police contacted the DWP THEN they took it seriously
I know she was suspended – I have no idea what happened afer this