[Gllug] NHS opt out

[Russell Howe]

On Thu, Jan 25, 2007 at 03:31:07PM +0000, t.clarke wrote:
> Centralised data is good if properly managed...........
> 
> quite possibly true,  but then who trusts HMG to perly manage ANYTHING ??

One only needs to glance at http://attrition.org/dataloss/ to see how
centralised data is frequently completely mismanaged, poorly secured,
lost and stolen.

Latest entry was just yesterday:

Ohio Board of Nursing - [2007-01-25]
(3,031 nurses' Social Security numbers and names posted on web)
http://www.columbusdispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2007/01/25/20070125-D1-05.html

Others include "Chicago Board of Elections - [2007-01-22] Social
Security numbers, birth dates and addresses of 1.3 million voters on
over 100 missing discs

Talvest Mutual Funds - [2007-01-18] Missing backup file with personal
information, account numbers, Social insurance numbers on 470,000
investors

TJX Companies, Inc. (i.e. TK Maxx etc) - [2007-01-17] Hack exposes
unknown number of credit card numbers and transaction details

Boeing Co. - [2006-12-13] Social Security numbers and other personal
information of 382,000 employees on stolen laptop

Scotland Yard / Logica CMG - [2006-11-21] Bank account information for
over 15,000 policemen on stolen laptop

It's plain that organisations have enough problems just using their
databases, let along making them secure, auditable and restricting
access to them. It seems to be common practise for people to carry vast
quantities of data without caring about it. Usually because they pay no
penalty if it is lost or misused.

-- 
Russell Howe       | Why be just another cog in the machine,
rhowe at siksai.co.uk | when you can be the spanner in the works?
-------------- next part --------------
-- 
Gllug mailing list  -  Gllug at gllug.org.uk
http://lists.gllug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/gllug