Loss of data at 19 federal agencies raises privacy concerns
Federal workers at 19 agencies have lost personal information affecting thousands of employees and the public, raising fresh concerns about the government?s ability to protect sensitive information.
Most of the information was lost or stolen. In a few cases, it was accessed by computer hackers, according a report released Friday by the House Government Reform Committee. Government contractors were responsible for many of the security breaches.
In all, the committee reported 788 incidents involving the loss or compromise of sensitive personal information since Jan. 1, 2003. That was in addition to the ?hundreds of security and privacy incidents? at the Department of Veterans Affairs, the report said.
?Data loss is a governmentwide occurrence,? the report said. ?The vast majority of data losses arose from physical thefts of portable computers, drives and disks or unauthorized use of data by employees.?
