Bureaucrats apologize for losing personal student loan data
Commons committee investigating lost hard drive, USB key affecting half-million Canadians
The Canadian Press
Posted: Feb 14, 2013 1:24 PM ET
Last Updated: Feb 14, 2013 4:26 PM ET
Related
Related Stories
Employees from Human Resources and Skills Development Canada lost a USB key and hard drive last fall containing personal information for some 500,000 Canadians who had student loans. Officials apologized Thursday for losing the data, but said no fraud had been detected. (Mark Lennihan/AP Photo)We're sorry — and we're trying to make sure it never happens again.
That's the message from senior federal bureaucrats responsible for the loss of personal information belonging to more than half a million Canadians.
Human Resources and Skills Development Canada lost an external hard drive and USB key last year, resulting in the massive privacy breach.
Both the RCMP and privacy commissioner are investigating and at least three class action lawsuits have been launched as a result.
Bureaucrats from the department apologized today in front of a House of Commons committee as they tried to explain what went wrong.
They say they've been monitoring for signs the data is being misused, but no fraud has been reported so far.
© The Canadian Press, 2013
Share Tools
Big Box Advertisement
Latest Ottawa News Headlines
- Toronto mayor's brother says he never dealt drugs
- The brother of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has vehemently denied allegations in Saturday's Globe and Mail that he was involved in the illicit drug trade in the 1980s. more »
- Feds look to snag corporate sponsors for Ottawa events
- McDonald's golden arches on Parliament Hill? Tim Hortons billboards at the Governor General's residence? Nothing quite so crass is in the works, but a cash-strapped federal agency is actively looking for corporate sponsors to fill gaping holes in its budget. more »
- PM's credibility at stake in growing Senate expenses crisis
- With the prime minister's credibility at stake in a growing political crisis, has Stephen Harper done enough to explain his former chief of staff's $90,000 cheque to Senator Mike Duffy? Listen to CBC Radio's The House with Evan Solomon here. more »
- Audit of city's Orgaworld contract not expected until fall
- A long-awaited audit of the controversial deal between the City of Ottawa and Orgaworld won't be released until an ongoing commercial arbitration process ends, likely in the fall. more »
Must Watch
Top News Headlines
- Toronto mayor's brother says he never dealt drugs
- The brother of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has vehemently denied allegations in Saturday's Globe and Mail that he was involved in the illicit drug trade in the 1980s. more »
- Hockey Canada votes to ban bodychecking in peewee hockey
- Hockey Canada's board of directors voted to eliminate bodychecking from peewee-level hockey on Saturday in Charlottetown. more »
- Neil Macdonald: How serious is Obama about curbing the drone surge?
- In a key speech this week, the U.S. president set out a host of supposed new safeguards for America's controversial practice of remote-controlled rough justice. But as Neil Macdonald writes, the underlying rationale for drone use has not fundamentally changed. more »
- Ontario man lost in Australian mountains has survival skills
- The sister of an Ontario man who disappeared in Australia's Snowy Mountains nearly two weeks ago says she remains hopeful he will be found, partly because of his training as a Canadian Forces reservist. more »
Most Viewed/Commented
- Fire destroys 100-year-old barn near Kemptville, Ont.
- Toronto mayor's brother says he never dealt drugs
- Ottawa Race Weekend road closures
- Ottawa Senators thank fans after pesky season
- Senators' unlikely playoff run ends in Game 5 disappointment
- Train travel back to normal after fatal crash in eastern Ontario
- Canada Post tells residents that junk mail is useful
- Ottawa residents use green bins more, landfills less
- RCMP responds to female Mountie's sex abuse lawsuit
Big Box Advertisement
