Lost Laptop Exposes 380,000 Records
Following on from last week’s announcement that the office of the Comptroller Auditor General lost a laptop containing sensitive data at a bus stop, today the CAG announced that it lost a laptop in April 2007that contained information from the Department of Social and Family Affairs on over 380,000 welfare recipients. The laptop was stolen […]
Serious Concerns over Protection of Social Welfare Data
The Data Protection Commissioner released the audit report it conducted in the Department of Social and Family Affairs. The report highlights a number of “serious concerns” relating to the security of personal details of over 300,000 people whose avail of the services of the Department. Some of the key findings include; Claim forms stored in […]
Now This is Identity Theft
One thing that annoys me is when people mix terms and use them in the wrong sense. This can lead to confusion at best but in most likelihood undermines the message you are trying to deliver. A classic phrase that gets abused by many people, especially in the press, is “identity theft”. Too often it […]
Is The Privacy Tide Turning?
Digital Rights Ireland have reproduced an excellent article discussing the impact the Data Protection Act has on our rights to privacy. The article was Published in the Irish Daily Mail written by Fergal Crehan, a barrister specialising in Internet law. It is also interesting to note that the UK Information Commissioner, their version of the Data […]
Disclosure Debate Continues
The Thursday the 29th of May edition of the Irish Independent had an interesting article in its Digital Ireland supplement discussing whether or not Ireland should have mandatory data disclosure laws similar to those in the United States. I am quoted in the article in support of the introduction of such legislation while Owen O’Connor and Paul […]
Treat Data As A Liability?
One of the common core activities when designing an Information Security Management System is to identify all the appropriate assets within the organisation so that risks against those assets can be properly identified and managed. Part of this process is to also identify all you data assets such as customer databases, sales lists, intellectual property and other […]
Irish Ways and Irish Laws
I am regularly asked by clients, training course attendees and contacts in non-Irish companies looking to expaned into Ireland what is the most relevant legislation relating to information security for organisations in Ireland. So here is my top list of legislation that you should be concerned about regarding information security and your business in Ireland; I hasten to point out that […]
Data Protection Commissioner Publishes Annual Report
The Data Protection Commissioner yesterday published his annual report for 2007. The report is yet another compelling read and shows how our privacy is being gradually eroded in the name of commerce and the fight against serious crime and terrorism. Indeed this is perhaps best reflected in the words of the commissioner himself “Have we not succumbed […]
Data on over 170,000 Irish Blood Donors and Patients Lost
Reports are breaking this morning about the theft of a laptop in New York that contained the data on over 170,000 people who have used the services of the Irish Blood Transfusion Board between July and October of 2007. The IBTS state that the data were sent to a US software development company based in […]
Data Breach Notification Laws by US State
Following on from the theme of “Security Breach Reporting and Impact” for the upcoming ISSA Ireland meeting this Friday at 12:00 p.m., this interactive map from CSO Online is an interesting read. The map allows you to click on each US State to determine what each state’s laws regarding breach disclosure are.