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back to article Government 'lost' DNA data on 2,000 criminal suspects

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is the latest government institution facing humiliation over its inability to properly deal with sensitive data. The CPS was sent files on 2,000 serious criminal suspects, including DNA profiles, by Dutch police over a year ago. Dutch authorities were hoping the CPS would check the files and …

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  1. TheThing
    Thumb Up

    Is it safe?

    I applaud them. A proactive step to bettering the methods of handling this type of data.

    How could the data be any safer if someone had known where it was? Given the apparent complete lack of ability common amongst civil servants to not accidentally send sensitive data out to their nearest chip shop, the only sensible way of handling it was indeed to completely forget where they put it.

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  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Can't keep 15 records safe

    So, they can't keep 15 DNA records safe, and yet they want EVERYONE'S?

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  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Should have handed it to the DVLA....

    ... they'd have sold it to any company with the word 'DNA' in their name and made perhaps fifty grand in the process.

    Remember data is money! People will pay good money to get their hands on data, and as long as government departments are so free with the data, they're missing out on lots of luvly luca. What is this communism?

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  4. cor
    Black Helicopters

    How about ...

    ..an Open Source format for DNA storage? Think about it, the gov. is always going on about "...if you have nothing to hide then ..blah blah.." - So why hide their horde of indiscriminate blanket acquisition of profiles?

    I'm not propagating this idea, I'd rather they just left us alone and used intelligence to track down criminals. However if they're going to tag us anyway, why not transparently?

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  5. Ash

    I agree with TheThing

    They can lose my data any time they like.

    Hopefully into a secure disposal facility.

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  6. Ferry Boat

    CD drawer

    According to the news this morning it had been left in a junior staff member's drawer at the CPS. MP Keith Vaz said there were issues of computer compatibility (amongst other bumbling excuses). You are not going to find out about those compatibility issues when it's in a desk drawer are you?

    Wonder why the Dutch plod didn't follow up on the CD they'd sent. Ah... maybe they'd seen how we operate in the UK.

    Why do they still use the post and CDs? Why not coordinate this type of thing through EuroPlod?

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  7. Mark Cathcart

    information incontenance

    Jeff Jonas of IBM has a lot to say on the subject of data anonymity, accountability etc. His recent blog entry on information incontenance says volumes: http://jeffjonas.typepad.com/jeff_jonas/2008/01/information-inc.html

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  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Err...

    What nobody has seemed to notice is that of the 15 whose DNA appears in the UK database only 11 of them have committed a crime. Eh? I realise that all you have to do to get on the database is walk into a police station, but I'm still outraged.

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  9. TheThing

    @Fraser

    It's OK mate. As we speak the other four are being sent your home address via a misdirected TNT delivery. They should be there at about ten.

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  10. kain preacher

    Us yanks

    See I cant see why you britt object to us yanks having access to your DNA and other data bases. I mean in ten years every one will. Plus I promise my gov will lose 90% less data than yours

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