Time Warner has lost data back-up tapes containing the
personal employment and family details of 600,000 current and
former employees.
The media group said a container of its computer back-up tapes
was lost by an outside data storage firm in the US during shipment
to one of that firm’s storage facilities.
Time Warner has used the firm to ship and store its computer
back-up tapes offsite for several years, as part of its regular
processes to protect its computerised data.
The missing tapes did not include personal data on Time Warner
customers.
The US secret service is investigating the matter, working
closely with Time Warner and the outside data storage firm.
“To date, the investigation has not found any evidence that the
tapes or their contents have been accessed or misused,” said a
spokesperson for Time Warner.
“Time Warner is today notifying individuals whose information
may have been on the missing tapes of this incident and of
resources at their disposal to monitor their credit reports in the
event of unusual activity.”
This includes giving employees free credit checks with
commercial credit agencies.