Can we trust Revenue and Social Welfare with our personal details

[Caveat]

I love the way it being a "revenue" story, it is felt necessary to say "...inclusive of VAT".

 

[ubiquitous]

That's a good example of a non-story. They could just as easily write the same story about any other major employer.

 

[Hoagy]

That's a good example of a non-story. They could just as easily write the same story about any other major employer.

You'd have to say the private sector wouldn't be as naive as this though -

With regard to any confidential information, the spokeswoman said all Revenue laptops are password protected so the thief could not access any sensitive information if any such information was on the laptops.

 

[ClubMan]

You'd have to say the private sector wouldn't be as naive as this though -

With regard to any confidential information, the spokeswoman said all Revenue laptops are password protected so the thief could not access any sensitive information if any such information was on the laptops.

Are you sure? I have worked for plenty of IT companies who pay lip service to security but, when it comes down to it, implement flawed policies especially when it comes to laptops and other mobile comuting devices containing sensitive info.

 

[ashambles]

I think the naivity is that after the fact of the loss of the laptops they tried to portray having a password on a laptop as being sufficient protection. They should have had plenty of time to work out it isn't.

If say a bank had lost a laptop with customer information then I'd fully expect them to them to be pulled up if they tried to calm fears by trying to portray the laptop as being impregnable due to a password.

Chances of a stolen laptop finding it's way into the hands of someone who knows how to access the data and then understand and exploit it are slim though.

Also luckily the people who lose laptops are often people who don't get to keep information that's important anyway. Apart from crushingly dull and useless in isolation documents and powerpoints, any stories I've heard have concerned victims more worried about their own private files, emails, and of course the fact they've never backed up - boo hoo.