The BBC in the UK has admitted losing a laptop and several memory sticks containing names, addresses and mobile phone numbers of children. Apparently, the information was stolen from a van belonging to a production company undertaking work for the broadcaster’s children’s channel, CBBC.
With instances of data theft, pedophilia and ‘internet grooming’ becoming more prevalent in the media, it is particularly shocking that an organization of the BBC’s standing has allowed such a breach to occur.
While the BBC claims that there is no evidence the data has been misused, there is also no indication that either the laptop or memory sticks were equipped with any security measures, such as data encryption or access control.
