The Information Commissioner's Office has received undertakings
to improve data protection from a London borough and a motor
vehicle repair advice centre following the loss of personal data
that included driving convictions.
The ICO found that thieves stole an unencrypted laptop belonging
to Blackburn-based
Repair Management Services (formerly MVRA) from a locked car in
a public car park. It contained the personal information of
approximately 36,800 individuals and details of 1,900 motoring
convictions.
The ICO found
London Borough of Sutton in breach of the Data Protection Act
after several data losses. These included the loss of a paper file
with personal data on 73 individuals who were receiving social
care, and the theft of two unencrypted laptops.
One laptop contained social care data of 39 individuals and the
other contained information relating to nine children being taught
by a teacher employed by the council. A package of documents also
went missing when a courier used by the council left it with the
recipient's neighbour.
Sally-Anne Poole, head of enforcement & investigations at
the ICO, said: "It is vital that personal data is handled securely.
This is an important principle of the
Data
Protection Act."