Firms 'should admit' data breaches

03 September 2008

Firms 'should admit' data breaches Firms 'should admit' data breaches

Businesses should be forced to admit to data losses and security breaches, according to one industry watchdog.

The National Consumer Council (NCC) is calling for the European Union to legislate to this extent, enhancing consumer rights where their personal information is concerned, reports silicon.com.

According to the council, individuals are unable to fully defend themselves against identity fraud because too many losses go unreported.

NCC senior policy adviser Anna Fielder said thousands of businesses were handling bank account details, dates of birth and other personal details on a daily basis.

Referring to the associated data security risks, she added: "A lot of incidents could go unreported because they are not considered high-profile enough."

"All banks and businesses should be obliged to report losses to enable customers to take action and protect themselves."

Those working in information security jobs may know that in the last fortnight alone, a server containing the bank details of one million consumers was sold on internet auction site eBay, while a Home Office contractor misplaced details relating to 84,000 prisoners.
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