Major Data Loss Exposes Personal Information of 1.7 Million People

Major Data Loss Exposes Personal Information of 1.7 Million People

According to a government minister, an unencrypted hard drive containing personal data of 1.7 million people went missing last week from the the EDS site in Hampshire. The drive is embedded with information such as names, addresses, passport numbers, dates of birth, next-of-kin and driving licence details of up to 100,000 military personnel and up to 600,000 potential recruits.


The incident follows a series of security loss scandals plaguing the department. Last July, the Ministry of Defence admitted they have lost 1,405 laptops and 121 USB memory sticks which contain highly classified information since 2004. Another data loss occured on January wherein 600,000 unprotected data were unaccounted for when a laptop was filched.



In an official statement, Defence Minister Bob Ainsworth said that the case, "illustrates the need continually to review and enhance our arrangements for personal data."