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In UK, 12M Taxpayers Lost With USB Stick

Posted by kdawson on from the and-your-little-data-too dept.

An anonymous reader tips a piece from the UK's Daily Mail that recounts another sad tale of the careless loss of massive amounts of private user data. "Ministers have been forced to order an emergency shutdown of a key Government computer system to protect millions of people's private details. The action was taken after a memory stick was found in a pub car park containing confidential passcodes to the online Government Gateway system, which covers everything from tax returns to parking tickets. An urgent investigation is now under way into how the stick, belonging to the company which runs the flagship system, came to be lost."

5 of 258 comments (clear)

  1. Re:12M Taxpayers Lost? by ta+bu+shi+da+yu · · Score: -1, Redundant

    I know! How did they fit them all in that little device?

    --
    XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve the problem, use more.
  2. A USB stick I can understand by MadMidnightBomber · · Score: 0, Redundant

    But 12M taxpayers take up quite a lot of room. How on earth can you lose that many people?

    --
    "It doesn't cost enough, and it makes too much sense."
  3. The more worrying factor... by Roenax · · Score: -1, Redundant

    I don't think anybody has mentioned the flash drive had the entire source code on the drive.

  4. Here we are again by Lars+T. · · Score: -1, Redundant

    The same people who say you can't "steal" data because it is still there will gladly say that you can lose it even if it's still there.

    --

    Lars T.

    To the guy who modded me down from perfect to terrible Karma - Apple haters still suck

  5. where they found? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Redundant

    What? no funny comment about the title?
    You guys are losing it.