News: Another Case of Intimate Information Lost

From the Register: Repair Management Services of Blackburn lost a laptop computer containing personal details of 37,000 people and information on 1,900 people's driving convictions. The information was stored on an unencrypted laptop and left in an unlocked vehicle, where it was stolen:

"Personal information is valuable," said Sally-anne Poole, head of enforcement and investigations at the ICO. “In this case, it also involved the details of criminal convictions which, if accessed, could potentially result in distress being caused to the individuals concerned."

The trade body has made a written undertaking to the ICO committing it to encrypting machines and to training staff in its information policies and procedures to try to ensure that such an incident is not repeated.

Of course, disclosure of this sort of information has been considerably more significant in some cases than others.