header-logo header-logo

Home Login E-newsletter About us
28 February 2008 / Anya Proops
Issue: 7310 / Categories: Features , Public , Legal services , Data protection
printer mail-detail

Lost property

© Copyright LexisNexis 2026. All Rights Reserved.

Data losses—now it’s getting personal, says Anya Proops

Over the past three months the government has admitted to: the loss of two CDs containing personal data, including banking details, relating to 25 million parents; the loss in the US of personal data relating to three million UK learner drivers; and, further, a laptop containing the personal data, including banking details, of some 600,000 individuals who had expressed an interest in joining the armed forces.

In December 2007, eight NHS trusts admitted to losing up to 168,000 patient records. Also in December 2007, Leeds Building Society admitted that it had lost the salary and banking details of 1,000 employees. In January 2008, Richard Thomas, the information commissioner, issued an enforcement notice against Marks & Spencer (M&S) after an unencrypted laptop containing information about the pension arrangements of around 26,000 M&S employees was stolen from a contractor.

 

PROTECTION CONCERNS

These staggering developments have not only seriously dented public confidence in the ability of public and private sector organisations

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Read All
Sponsored by
Switalskis—Naila Arif, Harriet Findlay & Ellie Thompson

Switalskis—Naila Arif, Harriet Findlay & Ellie Thompson

Firm awards training contracts to paralegals through internal programme

Ward Hadaway—Matthew Morton

Ward Hadaway—Matthew Morton

Private client disputes specialist joins commercial litigation team

Thomson Hayton Winkley—Nina Hood

Thomson Hayton Winkley—Nina Hood

Cumbria firm appoints new head of residential property

NEWS
Read All
NLJ this week: Divorce ‘nuclear weapon’ freezes assets but entangles outsiders
Freezing orders in divorce proceedings can unexpectedly ensnare third parties and disrupt businesses. In NLJ this week, Lucy James of Trowers & Hamlins explains how these orders—dubbed a ‘nuclear weapon’—preserve assets but can extend far beyond spouses to companies and business partners 
NLJ this week: What counts as ‘rent’? Court says labour alone won’t do
A Court of Appeal ruling has clarified that ‘rent’ must be monetary—excluding tenants paid in labour from statutory protection. In this week's NLJ, James Naylor explains Garraway v Phillips, where a tenant worked two days a week instead of paying rent
NLJ this week: Freed but failed—justice system leaves the innocent empty-handed
Three men wrongly imprisoned for a combined 77 years have been released—yet received ‘not a penny’ in compensation, exposing deep flaws in the justice system. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Jon Robins reports on Justin Plummer, Oliver Campbell and Peter Sullivan, whose convictions collapsed amid discredited forensics, ‘oppressive’ police interviews and unreliable ‘cell confessions’
NLJ this week: Clarity on whistleblowing, settlements and tribunal limits
A quiet month for employment cases still delivers key legal clarifications. In his latest Employment Law Brief for NLJ, Ian Smith reports that whistleblowing protection remains intact even where disclosures are partly self-serving, provided the worker reasonably believes they serve the ‘public interest’ 
NLJ this week: Family law urged to ditch adversarial instincts
Family law must shift from conflict-driven litigation to child-centred problem-solving, according to a major new report. Writing in NLJ this week, Caroline Bowden of Anthony Gold outlines findings showing overwhelming support for reform, with 92% agreeing lawyers owe duties to children as well as clients
Copyright © 2026 LexisNexis
back-to-top-scroll