The Grumpy Man

So, it appears that the government, or more accurately HM Revenue and Customs, has lost some data about a few people in the country. It’s actually more than just a few, reports suggest that it’s information on 25 million people, or just over 7 million bank accounts. Information such as names, addresses, ages, children’s names, partner’s names, bank account numbers and national insurance numbers have all gone missing.

While it’s obviously a fairly large error, and undoubtedly there are quesions that need asked, I do feel that people and in a particular, the media, are over reacting. Opposition MPs are questioning whether Alistair Darling is “up to the job”. I’d suggest that we’ll find that out now. Alistair Darling can’t be held responsible for the data going missing – even if the buck does stop there. What he can be held responsible for is how he deals with the situation now, that’s what will show if he’s up to the job.

As for people being able to access my bank account, I’m thinking it’s probably as safe now as it was before. I bank online, so I’ve got a password, and various other pieces of information that would be required to access my account. As long as my bank follows it’s code of practice and doesn’t let anyone access my account without my password, we’re fine and dandy. I noticed that someone was on Radio 4 yesterday saying that their account had been cleared using this missing information. Actually, it wasn’t. It was cleared because the bank in question, the Alliance and Leicester, didn’t force the person on the phone to use the correct password. No matter what other information someone knows, you should always need the password.

It is terrible that this has happened, it needs to be looked at and systems need to be put in place to stop it happening again, but how much of this data was already available to people? I’m thinking quite a lot. How many letters do the Royal Mail loose a day and how many of them are bank statements or letters with other financial information? How much information is passed/sold from business to business. And how much information do call centre or backroom staff have access to about me?

What annoys me about this is the irresponsible manner in which the media is reporting on it. Instead of using this as a good opportunity to deal with the whole issue of data security, providing advice and information to people, they are as usual trying to whip up a frenzy of fear.