British Columbia's privacy watchdog says the Education Ministry
failed to protect the personal information of millions of students and
teachers when it lost a hard drive containing 30 years of information.
An investigation report by Elizabeth Denham says the ministry did not
secure a portable hard drive containing personal information of 3.4
million B.C. and Yukon students and teachers.
The hard drive, which wasn't encrypted and would allow easy access to
the information, was reported missing last August after an extensive
search by up to 50 bureaucrats at a secret government warehouse.
The report says the ministry breached the Freedom of Information and
Protection of Privacy Act when it failed to protect the information.
Denham makes nine recommendations to strengthen the security of
personal information, including encrypting all mobile data storage
devices and maintaining accurate inventories of personal information.
The government said the data on the hard drive contains names,
grades, postal codes and personal education numbers of students, and
includes potentially sensitive information about children in care and
teacher retirements.
(Castanet)
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