Millions of drivers' data 'lost'

[Janitor]

The details of 3 million candidates for the driving theory test have gone missing, the BBC understands.

The loss took place when the hard drive of a computer belonging to a private contractor to the driving standards agency went missing in the US.

Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly is due to give details to MPs at about 1730.

It is the latest in a series of data losses since HM Revenue and Customs lost discs holding 25m people's data, including bank account details.

Chancellor Alistair Darling has been given an interim report into that loss, but said conclusions would be outlined in a full report out next year.

The head of HMRC, and its data security chief, are also to be probed by MPs.

COMMONS TIMINGS

1530: Brown on EU summit

1630: Darling on lost discs

1730: Kelly on DFT data

1730: MPs grill HMRC bosses

The two Child Benefit discs that went missing in October contained names, dates of birth, bank and address details.

They were lost when a junior official at HM Revenue and Customs in Tyne and Wear sent them by courier unregistered and unencrypted, to the National Audit Office in London - but they did not arrive.

It is believed police think the discs may have accidentally been thrown out as rubbish.

Officers have visited several tips around London to check what waste was delivered there.

A large scale hunt for the discs has failed to find them.

The government has apologised and said there was no evidence the discs had fallen into the wrong hands.

But millions of families have been told to be on alert for fraudsters using their details, stored on the discs.

Data security grilling

Mr Darling said some other missing discs would also be looked at as part the inquiry by Mr Poynter, UK chairman at PriceWaterhouseCoopers.

A full version of the report is expected by spring 2008.

He also gave details of an interim report from Cabinet Secretary Gus O'Donnell into data security across the whole of Government.

It has been suggested by the transport department that the latest DVLA data loss had emerged as a result of the review by Sir Gus.

While Ms Kelly gives details of the new data loss to the Commons at 1730, MPs on the public accounts committee will grill David Hartnett, acting chairman of HMRC, and Nick Lodge, HMRC's director of data security about the loss of the child benefit disc.

Source

[WelshBluebird]

when will this end lol

Gonna have a look into this myself, as I have only recently put in to do my theory test

[RDPaul]

Another reason of why i like the idea of living off the grid...

If you cant trust the government with the simplest things in life, then how can you trust them at all?

[Athernar]

Would someone care to explain what DVLA data in the hands of a contractor no less, was doing in the USA in the first place?

[shihchiun]

Unencrypted... awesome. You'd think the government would be a little (just a little!) more careful with things like this.

[Janitor]

Would someone care to explain what DVLA data in the hands of a contractor no less, was doing in the USA in the first place?

I have no idea. Tbqfh the UK Government is a complete joke.