More than 200 laptops lost or stolen from councils in 2008
24 November 2011
More than 200 laptops, 98 memory sticks and 93 mobile devices have been lost or stolen from local councils since 2008, according to a report out today.
A Freedom of Information Request from the campaign group Big Brother Watch has revealed more than a 1,000 cases of data loss or data theft from local authorities between 2008 and 2011.
The stolen data included information relating to children and vulnerable people in care. In total, 132 councils had a total of 1,035 cases of data loss or theft over a three year period.
Only 55 of these incidents of mobile IT theft and mobile IT loss were reported to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), and only nine people lost their jobs as a result.
Buckinghamshire and Kent councils reported the most cases of data loss, experiencing 72 cases each, closely followed by Essex (62) and Northamptonshire (48).
Physical IT security experts, LapSafe® Products, is calling for councils and other public sector organisations to take steps towards protecting their laptops and other mobile devices from theft. Laptop theft from the public sector can put vulnerable individuals at risk and can even result in hefty fines of up to £500,000 by the ICO, negatively impacting upon the public purse.
Public sector professionals can find out more about how to prevent laptop theft and read laptop security tips here.