A laptop stolen from a Royal Navy officer contained personal details of 600,000 people, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed.
Few details about the loss
The MoD said the laptop was stolen from a Royal Navy officer in Birmingham on January 9.
It contained personal information relating to some
600,000 people who have either expressed an interest in, or have joined, the Royal Navy, Royal Marines and the Royal Air Force.
In some cases, said the MoD, the information was no more than a name.
But for others the data included passport details, National Insurance numbers, drivers' licence details, family details, doctors' addresses and National Health Service numbers.
It is estimated that the bank details of 3,500 people were included on the database.
Sky's Political correspondent Peter Spencer said: "It is a very embarrassing episode for the armed services.
"There have been occasions like this in the past where people from MI5 or senior army officers have had laptops stolen or have lost them.
"But it is a very sensitive time for the government when you consider that the entire child benefit database has gone missing - that happened just a few months ago and 25 million sets of details were included."
Meanwhile, hundreds of documents bearing people's personal details have been found by a motorist for the second time in two months - at the same spot.
They were in files found scattered on a roundabout and road near Exeter Airport in Devon by 57-year-old Karl-Heinz Korzenientz.
He said he spotted the papers after dropping off a friend at the airport at exactly the same spot last year that he found similar documents.
The papers included incapacity benefit files, others relating to pensions and job seekers allowance, bank statements, passport documents and copies of passports.
Source
really interesting... but sad
Key Personal Data On Stolen MoD Laptop
Re: Key Personal Data On Stolen MoD Laptop
Linear Mode
