From: kirniki (kirnikigmail.com)
Date: Sun Jan 25 2009 - 11:58:45 CST

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http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/science_technology/encrypted+staff+data+disc+lost/2910732

A computer data disk containing personal details of around 2,000
members of British Council staff has been lost.

The loss, involving names, national insurance numbers, salary and bank
account details of the Council's UK staff, is the latest in a string
of cases of official information going astray in recent months.

But the British Council, which is a Foreign Office-sponsored
arms-length organisation devoted to promoting knowledge of British
culture and the English language overseas, said that the missing disk
was securely encrypted to keep its contents safe if it falls into the
wrong hands.

{..}

"The data on the disk was compressed using a proprietary algorithm;
furthermore it is not an ordinary CD-ROM or DVD, but an optical disk
that can only be read by a particular type of reader with a specific
version of specialist software. This software is no longer
manufactured and cannot be purchased.

"These precautions ensure that the data is extremely secure in the
unlikely event that the disk should fall into the wrong hands. The
system for transferring data is being reviewed and in the meantime the
data is not being sent."

{..}
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