Losing personal information in the iPad age
Staff working for a care provider in the Isle of Man lost an unencrypted memory stick (encryption means you have to put in a password before you can get at the information on the stick) with lots of client/patient information on it. Nobody knows where it went. They have had to sign an undertaking with the Isle of Man and UK regulator for information security.
Within the undertaking Praxis have agreed that all memory sticks, laptops and similar devices will be encrypted, all staff will be trained in the company’s policy for the storage, use and disposal of personal information, information which is no longer relevant will be disposed of in a secure manner, compliance with data protection policies will be regularly monitored and lastly the company will take steps to ensure personal data is secure.
In the iPad age, information is becoming more mobile, and people take it for granted that they can work on stuff on their mobile phones, Blackberries and iPads wherever they are. That means stuff is going to get lost. I wonder how many health and social care memory sticks have been lost from handbags or pockets over the past year or two. And how many were encrypted – difficult because you have to remember and input the password every time you use it. But it’s still personal information and often in a hospice or social care agency it will be highly personal stuff. Are we thinking carefully enough about this?
Another organisation got hammered for losing membership aplication forms on a train.
Details on the web here: http://www.ico.gov.uk/news/latest_news/2012/action-taken-after-care-provider-lost-unencrypted-memory-stick-18012012.aspx


