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MPs call for criminal penalties for data breaches |
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Thursday, 03 January 2008 |
Westminster's Justice Committee today said that criminal penalties should be strengthened for significant security breaches in the wake of the loss of millions of personal and financial records by HM Revenue and Customs.
MPs also called for the UK Information Commissioner to have new enforcement powers over the protection of private data.
The Committee said it was "extremely concerned" that there are more
cases involving personal data loss by government bodies or contractors
that are still coming to light.
It added that a warning made last summer by Information Commissioner
Richard Thomas about the danger of extensive security lapses in a wide
range of organisations had been proved correct.
The Committee concludes that "there is evidence of widespread problem
within Government relating to establishing systems for data protection
and operating them adequately".
Committee members also pointed to concerns that were raised two years
ago in a report by Dr Mark Walport, who is now heading the Government’s
main review of data protection, about the risks of what the acting
Chairman of HMRC has now admitted were "systemic" failings in the
handling of personal data.
The Justice Committee is calling for new reporting requirements that
would require companies to report losses of data; new laws making
significant security breaches, where reckless or repeated, a criminal
offence; and rapid implementation of new enforcement powers for the
Information Commissioner to conduct unannounced spot checks on
Government department data systems.
Committee Chairman Alan Beith MP said: "The scale of the data loss by
Government bodies and contractors is truly shocking but the evidence we
have had points to further hidden problems. It is frankly incredible,
for example, that the measures HMRC has put in place (as described in
the Chancellor’s statement of December 17) were not already standard
procedure.
"We look forward to the Cabinet Secretary’s full report on the
procedures for the storage and use of personal data across all
Government departments.
"We will monitor the situation closely to ensure that effective action
is taken to protect information which is the property of members of the
public."
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