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Canadian Gov't Keeps Detailed Citizen Database
Byron Sonne wrote with word that Canada's Privacy Commissioner Bruce Phillips, in his annual report to Parliament, today criticized a national database kept by the Human Resources Department, calling it "tantamount to a citizen profile."
From the article: "The "extraordinarily detailed database" holds a dossier on almost every person in Canada with as many as 2,000 pieces of information about each person's education, marital status, ethnic origin, mobility, disabilities, income tax, employment and social assistance history."
Fear not -- Human Resources Minister Jane Stewart says that "[a]ll the information is secure, it's encrypted." Interesting, given that apparently blase attitude toward the propriety of keeping such a database in the first place, that Canada has a privacy commissioner at all -- but from the sound of this a fortunate thing it does.
Having spend 12 months on a co-op job at Humans Resources Development Canada's Ontario Regional Headquarters in the Systems Admin area, I have to agree that their concenpt of secure is a joke -->
1. They believe they are less prone to attacks because they use 'Banyan VINES' and no-one uses Banyan VINES.
2. Whereas most companies uses Windows NT rather then Windows 9x or 3.x since its more secure[LINUX Trolls, I know LINUX is more secure but you have to admit that NT Security is better hten Windows 9x or 3.x]. HRDC seems bent on using all three operating systems.
3. Dial-Up. These people allow workers dialup from HOME using ReachOut [think along lines of Symantec pcAnywhere].
4. Theft. When I was working there, out of an staff of 400 there was 2 stolen lap tops and someone manage to break in and steal 4 machines. I hate to know what are on those harddrives.
5. AUTO-LOGIN! Half the people in the building has it setup [through TweakUI] so that their computer automatically logon to the network for them when they bootup.
6. Job Termainals --> Any Canadian knows about them, they're the little things at malls and stuff that helps you find a job. Well, those things are connected to the entire HRDC network. If someone compromise one of these, then they're screwed.
7. Incomptant Admins --> When I did my co-op there, out of the 10 admins there only 2 had a college degree and out of the two, one was an Psychology Degree. Most of the admins are qualified because they took some 'Computer Repair' or 'Acess Design' course at a community college or somewhere.
8. Idiot Workers --> Have you heard of the recent CSIS problems? [CSIS = NSA]. A BRIEFCASE of confidental docuemnts was stolen from a car of a agent while he was at a ball game.
Expecting the Canadian Government to keep a secure private database is like asking a car to fly, its not going to happen.
-- Note: These Comments are Generated by ME! Not You! ME!
It has been estimated that the average Dutch citizen has an entry in 400 databases. Makes you think.
I'll do it for cheesy poofs.