Honolulu police have discovered confidential information on 43,000 residents of Hawaii on a computer seized during a drugs investigation. Members of some of Hawaii’s public employee unions, among those facing the threat of identity theft, have accused the state of not protecting their personal data sufficiently. Experts at InfoWatch point out that the incident is a typical data leak that has led to serious political and legal repercussions.
Over 43,000 Hawaiian residents found themselves at risk of identity theft after insurance records that included names and social security numbers were stolen, the Honolulu Advertiser reports.
The incident has affected 22,000 private-sector employees and 21,500 state workers who signed up for various life insurance polices. Files containing confidential information were copied during a lawsuit between the Hawaii Government Employees Association and the United Public Workers. The private data was in the possession of the copying company Newtech Imaging when several unauthorized copies are believed to have been made.
The data leak only came to light by chance when police were investigating an unrelated crime. The confidential files were found on the computer of an unidentified person linked to a drugs investigation. Whether or not the data were used to commit identity theft is unclear.
The data theft was actually discovered in January 2006. However, the U.S. Secret Service and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service asked the state authorities not to disclose the incident while the investigation was ongoing. Despite the fact that the case still hasn’t been closed, the state was given the go-ahead late last month to inform the public. Notification letters were sent out to those affected by the leak informing them that they could potentially fall victim to identity theft.
Union leaders, who appeared to have known nothing about the leak, were particularly angry when members of their organization started receiving messages about the theft of their private details. And complaints that the state is doing nothing to protect its employees from identity theft have also been leveled against the authorities.
“Note that the police found the confidential files on the computer of a person involved in the drug trade, suggesting that all the necessary information to commit identity theft was in criminal hands. It won’t be very surprising if, as a result, money starts disappearing from the bank accounts of some state employees," says Denis Zenkin, marketing director at InfoWatch.
“The leak has further strained relations between the unions representing state workers and the state authorities. The employees now face the threat of identity theft and believe the state is to blame, which means the leak could have serious political repercussions as well."
Source: Honolulu Advertis
