132 councils lost personal data

Wednesday 23 November 2011 01:00 GMT

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Freedom of Information requests reveal that 132 local authorities have lost personal data in 1,035 separate instances over the past three years, including a memory stick containing the addresses of 64,000 people in Birmingham.

At least 35 councils admitted they lost private information about children. Despite the huge number of incidents, only nine resulted in a termination of employment.

Big Brother Watch, which filed the requests and publishes the report today, said the losses highlighted "a shockingly lax attitude to protecting confidential information".

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Thank you for registering

132 councils lost personal data

Join our commenting forum

Thank you for registering