It seems with every week that passes there is another breach of data confidentiality. Recently customer data from 2,000 Barclays’ customers was presented to the Mail on Sunday on a memory stick by an anonymous source. Apparently another 25,000 people’s information was also available to purchase.
Clearly it is worrying when one of the world’s premier banking institutions cannot keep its customers personal data safe. This leaked data includes passport & national insurance numbers, money and health information, which in the wrong hands could have damaging ramifications.
The Information Commisioner’s Office (ICO) will now commence investigations into this data breach, with severe repercussions likely. The ICO have the power to levy fines up to £500,000 for organisations who don’t take appropriate measures to secure and protect data of this nature.