Yesterday the MoD confirmed that an investigation had been launched into the loss of the hardware which contained the personal details of over 100,000 servicemen. www.politics.co.uk/news/foreign-policy/d...ta-loss-$1244411.htm
Our so called "security" puts me in mind of a leaky sieve.

Each time personal details of individuals who work within various government departments or our armed forces are lost their lives are put at risk and each time the promise is made that it won't happen again.

When will this government take responsibility for the errors that happen time and time again within its own security services? When will they bring to book the person (or persons) responsible for the safety of this information? The missing hard drive is the latest security breach at the MoD - in July it was confirmed that 658 laptops had been stolen over the last four years and 26 portable memory sticks containing classified information had been misplaced since January.

I heard a snippet the other day suggesting the EU is going to look into improving ways of securing sensitive computer derived data.

In the meantime there are ways and means of securing such data such that the recipient only can access.

There are state of the art encryption, and similarly password security products that have been available for years now. I ask why, the systems for training, auditing and the stringent security policies, have not been implemented?

It now seems the number of indivduals whose details have been lost was understated! "The hard drive may, in the worst case, contain details relating to 1.7 million individuals who have enquired about joining the armed forces," Mr Ainsworth wrote. www.politics.co.uk/news/opinion-former-i...-feared-$1244635.htm

Although the MoD has to take overall responsibility for the safekeeping of the data, this little lot - like the recent Home Office loss - has occured when it was in the hands of private contractors. Hopefully,like PA Consulting before it,EDS will find its contract cancelled.

It's the only thing which will make them think.

It isn't good enough to just blame the independent contractors TLJ. Those contracts were granted by the government as part of their ongoing cost cutting excercises.

When I worked in the Civil Service (and yes, it was in the days when we were civil and we provided a service!) NO personal information, written or otherwise, about individuals was allowed out of government offices.

It is even more important today that this rule should be re-applied in light of the vast amount of detail now retained on databases in various government offices.

Now they are trying for a database to hold details of all phonecalls and e-mails. Government plans to create a database of every phone call and email sent in the UK are facing sustained criticism from the independent reviewer of counterterrorism laws.

Lord Carlile said the "raw idea" of a database was "awful".

That statement has upset Home Office efforts to save the issue from a series of victories for civil libertarians - in the form of private coroner's inquests and 42-day detention. www.politics.co.uk/news/opinion-former-i...atabase-$1244936.htm
The government pledges to only collect data about calls and emails, such as the identity of the caller and where they are calling, rather than the actual content. (All together now). We believe you!!

Brenna1508 wrote:

The government pledges to only collect data about calls and emails, such as the identity of the caller and where they are calling, rather than the actual content. (All together now). We believe you!!

That bit I do believe - unless you're on the security service list of suspects or if you have the same name as a suspect or if your telephone number/e-mail address is similar to that of a suspect or.....



.....if they just press the wrong button.






I'm not the only Lithgae Jambo and GB might be interested in who 'Eck is talking to and what he's talking about

Ach weel, you'll be there by association

Brenna1508 wrote:
It isn't good enough to just blame the independent contractors TLJ. Those contracts were granted by the government as part of their ongoing cost cutting excercises.

When I worked in the Civil Service (and yes, it was in the days when we were civil and we provided a service!) NO personal information, written or otherwise, about individuals was allowed out of government offices.

It is even more important today that this rule should be re-applied in light of the vast amount of detail now retained on databases in various government offices.

You get what you pay for.

What a blurry mess! Breweries, p*ssups & unable to organise comes to mind

Weegie