ICO To Investigate Civil Service Data Breach Claims

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• The Channel 4 investigation into how private detectives are obtaining and selling highly sensitive personal information exposes dangerous loopholes in the way data protection laws are applied. While clearly there are legal matters to be considered here, this investigation suggests that there needs to be a root and branch review of how identity and access management is enforced within many public agencies and government departments. Whether through blagging or other means, better systems need to be in place to predict and spot unusual patterns of access to sensitive personal data entrusted into the State by citizens.

  Real time access risk intelligence and automated enforcement of security standards and data protection policies can improve risk visibility and help organisations better control who is accessing sensitive information, how it is being used and when. This, coupled with strict security guidelines, will ensure that inappropriate use of personal data can be easily prevented.

• Dear Sir,

  News that the ICO is to investigate civil service data breach claims following Channel 4’s Dispatches investigation highlights a much greater issue which many organisations are facing.

  Our own research has shown that 42 per cent of professionals regularly compromise data security, not out of malice as often portrayed in the media, but in the want of an easier life. People of all seniority levels within organisations regularly break IT rules and regulations on a daily basis causing serious concerns for the organisation around data security and access to privileged data.

  Employees are often positioned as ‘intentional rule-breakers' which is largely inaccurate as many aren't aware of the tight restrictions around accessing and sharing data inside and outside the organisation. Most of the time they are thinking about how to get the job done in the quickest way possible and without considering the importance of the information which they have been granted access to.

  This is just one example where more needs to be done to not only ensure that the appropriate identity and access management measures are in place, but to also educate employees on the importance of data security.

  Kevin Norlin
  Vice President & General Manager, Quest Software

• The Hull Dwp are using electronic movement detection from house to house, it's operated in a dwelling close to another and they try to monitor movement inside the
  targeted house. 19 Lambwath Road is the location and a simple scanner used outside will instantly detect it.

  The dwp now occupy hundreds of social housing properties in order to spy on benefit
  claimers and they will try to set them up as Fraudsters in order to obtain bonuses
  amounting to thousands of pounds, new cars, sunny holidays etc etc. Simply put it to
  the test, ask them and all will be revealed!

• I think it's happening to our family ,a white van arrived at a house across the street and some black box affair was carried in. my son is a Ham operator and he thinks it's a RF system of thru the wall radar and he cat race signals back to a room in the dwp spy house.

  we're not sure what's going on but we have read about this sort of stuff and dwp spy cars with poppies on the grill and this one had wheel trims missing. somebody seems to know all about dwp vehicles and where they work from.
  I'm afraid if they think they can get away with it, we have decided to enter the house and sort themout.!

  Manchester dwp watch your step