University of York breached Data Protection Act in 2009
Negligence by staff compromised 148 records including telephone numbers and addresses of students
After warning the Lancashire Police Authority over its negligence in publishing sensitive data in January, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has said that the University of York has breached the Data Protection Act in September 2009. The ICO said that the university failed to close a test area on its website that contained thousands of students' personal details.
It added, "While no direct link was available for the test area from the University's website, 148 records were inappropriately accessed." The information included students' names, dates of birth, A-level results, mobile telephone numbers and addresses. The breach occurred in September 2009 when a member of staff failed to realise they had made an error while carrying out work on the University's IT system.
