UK Publication Daily Mail Leaks Private Data

The Daily Mail, part of Northcliffe Media, has recently announced that one of the organization's laptops was stolen. It contained information on its employers, suppliers and collaborators, such as name, address, and bank info. The data loss is serious in that it is an identity theft risk, but it is at the same time rather ironic, considering the fact that the Daily Mail has published incredibly harsh articles each time a similar incident has occurred to Government officials in the UK. All parties involved have been notified and a formal inquiry has been launched.

Officials at the Daily Mail have stated that the laptop was password protected and that the whole incident, although regrettable, is sure not to happen again as the "technical issue" that caused it has since been remedied.

Simon Dyson, finance director with Associated Newspapers, and Martyn Hindley from Northcliffe Media have released this statement: "The likelihood is that this theft was carried out in an opportunistic manner by a thief who will not realize that there is any personal data on the computer and who may just erase what is on the hard drive in order to disguise the fact that the computer is stolen. We have, of course, notified the police of the theft of the laptop and are talking to the Office of the Information Commissioner about what has happened."

The people who may fall victim to identity theft are the ones who have worked or are still working for Associated Newspapers and Northcliffe Media. The Evening Standard and the Mail on Sunday are also published by Associated Newspapers. Dyson and Hindley said that all these people have been informed by letter, but it is still recommended that they get in touch with their bank; it is also a good idea to find out what methods for ID theft protection are out there and use them.