Social services computer files sold on ebay

[edam]

OMG stupid stupid council have flogged off old computers from social services department without cleaning them. Full records of child protection cases, children with special needs, etc. etc. etc. Afraid the story isn't on Beeb website yet, only as a bulletin private files sold on ebay - look at the video and audio news list, top right.

direct video link?

thats bloody terrible!

Thanks Misdee, that's the one. Outrageous.

Just goes to show why we should all be up in arms at the growth of government surveillance and databases. If this can happen now, what will it be like once they have the massive national database of all children, linking health, education and social services info? And the ID card database, and the NHS electronic medical records?

oh dear. Sounds like the cleaning company screwed up. How dreadful.

Would they ever have found out if the man who bought one hadn't reported it?

Terrible situation.
Seems to be more and more of similar incidences happening.

Frankly I'm shocked that councils hand over this sort of highly sensitive information to contractors to delete in the first place. Surely they should delete sensitive files from their own ruddy computers before throwing them out? I mean, how the hell is it data protection compliant if third parties have access?

God that is shocking.

can't think of anything more profound to say than that's really pretty shite.

Contractors are everywhere in the nhs and local authorities. Hardly anything is in house any more. It's reform.

I think the whole NHS/SS should be re-nationalised. Now i know that's contravertial, but it should be all or nothing.

Private contractors have a habit of just walking away when the shit hits the fan.

Well, somebody other than the social worker concerned has to have access to the computer in order to remove the files - it's not just a question of pressing delete.

True, rustybear. i think really cleaning a computer properly is quite a specialist task, probably. I certainly wouldn't know where to begin.

Agree with themoon. The NHS is being privatised by stealth. The government is ordering primary care trusts to promote private markets in healthcare ie contract with businesses to provide healthcare.

As for cleaning computer files, I expect there is a role for a specialist. So employ someone in-house to do it. Even so, surely as a first step the social workers should delete everything from the bloody hard drive and empty the trash? The guy who bought the laptop from Ebay isn't an IT specialist, the stuff had been left on there for any non-IT literate person to see. Appalling. And what level of security clearnance do the staff of this contractor have?

I'm sorry but if my ds had a social worker, if he had SN or, God forbid, there had been a child protection issue, I'd be horrified if social services just handed over a laptop with files openly detailing the case, our address and his name and DOB etc. etc.

TheArmadillo,

London news was saying that 8 computers were sold but only 1 person reported it.

I totally agree that it's a terrible mistake, edam. But IT people in or out of house do inevitably occasionally have access to sensitive information, I'm afraid. E.g. when setting people up on computers, repairing glitches etc etc. I would hope and expect that that they are contractually and legally bound by confidentiality like anyone else with access. It does seem to me that this is an appalling and unacceptable mistake by the service contracted to clean the hard drives rather than social services per se (for once), from what the report says below. It isn't as if social services have said "Ah ha let's put these computers on ebay" without thinking about the fact that there was very sensitive and confidential information on them. Instead they said "Hey, contractors, clean these please and then put them on ebay." but the cleaning bit did not happen.

But I'd rather they deleted files and emptied the trash before handing them over to facilities or whoever deals with the cleaning company. Seems like basic sensible housekeeping, to me. And if they'd done that, even if the cleaning company f*cked up, it would have been harder for an Ebay purchaser who is not IT literate to see the info (although less likelihood error would be exposed, I guess).

Yes, that would be sensible and if they were basic word files it seems like a no brainer, I agree. But if social workers/admin staff were assured that trustworthy contractors had been employed to do this for them then I don't think they personally are to blame really. I don't know how old these computers were and what kind of record keeping/report holding technology they used. Hopefully this is a problem of the past as lots of social services/health info these days is on quite specialist databases held on central servers accessed by permission on a need to know basis so only employees with individual passwords can access.

I wouldn't be so sanguine about it. Nurses are already leaving their card readers in all day so any passer by can access the electronic medical records system. If you fancy having a snoop, you just need to wander round any busy hospital.

shocking edam....

and agree ...it makes me shudder to think of the personal information already collected on us and thenm discarded in skips outside....

ID cards such a bad wasteful and controlling idea, even oyster cards track every journey...its excessive and dangerous as we cannot be sure where all this info will end up or what it will be used for...

..will open our eyes one day to find our very own DDR state...

That's what the information commissioner says, too. And he should know.

(Are you suzywong with a new persona, btw?)

no no no not suzywong..i've got creamcheese on!
i am about a bit, here and there!... dodgy broadband and rsi permitting!! ha ha

seriously scared by all this information gathering andcctv ...and the loud speaker thing! this country truly scares me cause no one seems to think its out of order....

I agree, yet another reason why id card data won't be safe.

Any private company (especially regulated companies who have to be compliant with, say Financial Services Authority or other guidelines) HAS to ensure this kind of thing DOES NOT happen.

I wonder how many parents whose families have been in touch with social services for whatever reason realised that all their confidential information would be handed over to third parties though. Because it wouldn't have occurred to me.