Missing computers: Sensitive data fears
146 machines AWOL amid sex offenders’details concerns
Almost 150 computers “lost” by North Lanarkshire Council could have vital information relating to local sex offenders according to one Wishaw councillor.
Councillor Sam Love made the claim while speaking to members of both Central Wishaw and Coltness Community Councils at their most recent meetings.
A total of 146 computers were reported missing in a report to the council’s Audit and Governance Panel earlier this year.
Councillor Love said: “This is a serious breach of data protection.
“We don’t know what information are on these computers and we don’t know if they can be accessed.
“The council just don’t know where they are.”
Councillor Love added that there have been prosecutions at other local authorities over the computers going missing.
He continued:”It is not about the value as some of these laptops are six years old.
“But it is what is on the hard drive. It could contain MAPPA information about sex offenders.
“There are 146 computers missing and the council don’t know where they are.”
Of the 146 computers 58 of the laptops were assigned to the local authority’s environmental and regeneration department.
A further 25 came from Corporate Services while 40 were classed as “unidentified”.
Councillor John Taggart is a member of the council’s Audit and Governance Panel.
Speaking at a recent meeting of Coltness Community Council, Councillor Taggart said: “As far as I am aware the laptops are encrypted but that means absolutely nothing nowadays. The council doesn’t know what information is on them.
“This could be a serious breach of data protection and the consequences for the council could be very serious.
“People at the council have told me that there was nothing to worry about but the facts are that we don’t know what information is stored on the computers.
“There should be an investigation into this matter.”
The council says the risk of unauthorised access is “low”, but steps are being taken to ensure such a situation doesn’t arise again.
North Lanarkshire Council have stated that none of the unaccounted computers were from the Housing and Social Work department and thus would not have any information in relation to sexual offences.
A spokesman added: “None of the missing machines reported to Committee were used by Housing and Social Work staff so for anyone to suggest sex offender or other sensitive information is at risk is needless scaremongering.
“The overwhelming majority of the devices, more than 90 per cent of them, were outdated desktop and laptop PCs, more than six years old, well past their usefulness and of minimal financial value.
“In terms of data security, it is extremely unlikely the devices could be used to access sensitive data, either held on the device or by accessing the council network.
“The council has multi-layered security and encryption in place and it is council policy for all data, especially sensitive data, to be held on networked servers, not on local devices. “
And he concluded: “Most of the devices were running an out- dated version of Windows, no longer supported by Microsoft, and would be incapable of connecting to our network.
“Steps have been taken to ensure accurate record-keeping in future.”