How the biggest leak caused panic in the police department.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has been fined more than $950,000 by a British watchdog over a data breach that was "the largest leak in the history of British policing". About this
In August, 10,000 officers data was leaked, including their last names, initials, positions, roles, and places of work. During the investigation, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) received many harrowing stories about the impact of the leak on people's lives – from moving to completely changing their daily lives due to "palpable fear for life."
Many young officers who participated in the investigation anonymously reported that they would like to move, but did not have the financial capacity. More than 50 cases of absenteeism were attributed to stress caused by the leak, and mental health problems became common among service employees. The situation worsened when Republican dissidents claimed that they had some of the leaked information. In this regard, the PSNI has begun to consider transferring some police officers to other jobs.
It is emphasized that large fines are not always an effective punishment for state organizations. Therefore, the ICO seeks lower penalties in exchange for more interaction with the regulator itself and investment in data protection. If such a leak had occurred in the private sector, the fine would have been about $7 million – the PSNI received a significant discount.
In addition to the fine, the ICO also issued an order to improve security when responding to FOI (Freedom of Information) requests. The ICO emphasizes the importance of verifying and changing disclosure procedures to protect personal data. According to the ICO, the incident could have been prevented with simple and easily implemented policies and procedures.
The PSNI called the news of the fine "unfortunate" due to the financial difficulties of the service and promised to discuss with the ICO the possibility of reducing the amount. The PSNI offered compensation of $630 to each officer whose data was affected, to which 90% of employees agreed.
The PSNI report also states that the service provided officers and their families with crime prevention advice. An investigation is ongoing to identify individuals with the disclosed information and related criminal activities.
The PSNI is also training officers and staff to prevent similar incidents from happening again in the future. The total cost of the incident is expected to be between $30 million and $47 million, including the ICO penalty.
The report also contains 37 recommendations for improving the PSNI experience, 14 of which have already been implemented. The PSNI will continue to work on implementing the remaining recommendations.
On August 8, the PSNI accidentally released a spreadsheet of all active police officers in Northern Ireland in response to a Freedom of Information Act request for information. The leak included the names and initials of employees, their titles, places of work and departments. Although the information was deleted a few hours after publication, this could have put the safety of employees at risk, given the political situation in the region.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has been fined more than $950,000 by a British watchdog over a data breach that was "the largest leak in the history of British policing". About this
In August, 10,000 officers data was leaked, including their last names, initials, positions, roles, and places of work. During the investigation, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) received many harrowing stories about the impact of the leak on people's lives – from moving to completely changing their daily lives due to "palpable fear for life."
Many young officers who participated in the investigation anonymously reported that they would like to move, but did not have the financial capacity. More than 50 cases of absenteeism were attributed to stress caused by the leak, and mental health problems became common among service employees. The situation worsened when Republican dissidents claimed that they had some of the leaked information. In this regard, the PSNI has begun to consider transferring some police officers to other jobs.
It is emphasized that large fines are not always an effective punishment for state organizations. Therefore, the ICO seeks lower penalties in exchange for more interaction with the regulator itself and investment in data protection. If such a leak had occurred in the private sector, the fine would have been about $7 million – the PSNI received a significant discount.
In addition to the fine, the ICO also issued an order to improve security when responding to FOI (Freedom of Information) requests. The ICO emphasizes the importance of verifying and changing disclosure procedures to protect personal data. According to the ICO, the incident could have been prevented with simple and easily implemented policies and procedures.
The PSNI called the news of the fine "unfortunate" due to the financial difficulties of the service and promised to discuss with the ICO the possibility of reducing the amount. The PSNI offered compensation of $630 to each officer whose data was affected, to which 90% of employees agreed.
The PSNI report also states that the service provided officers and their families with crime prevention advice. An investigation is ongoing to identify individuals with the disclosed information and related criminal activities.
The PSNI is also training officers and staff to prevent similar incidents from happening again in the future. The total cost of the incident is expected to be between $30 million and $47 million, including the ICO penalty.
The report also contains 37 recommendations for improving the PSNI experience, 14 of which have already been implemented. The PSNI will continue to work on implementing the remaining recommendations.
On August 8, the PSNI accidentally released a spreadsheet of all active police officers in Northern Ireland in response to a Freedom of Information Act request for information. The leak included the names and initials of employees, their titles, places of work and departments. Although the information was deleted a few hours after publication, this could have put the safety of employees at risk, given the political situation in the region.
