Data leaks from the "Identity and Passport Service"

Thanks to Wendell, I have found another article (follow the link of the title). It seems that information already detained by the State is not secured... In the Identity and Passport Service, which is setting up the National Identity Register, some members of the staff "hacked" the system to access private data from citizens...

Personal information about every British passport holder - including their date of birth, mother's maiden name, address and photographs - is already held in the IPS computers.

Now, do you remember one of the most common question bank ask you when they try to retrieve information about you... Yes your mother's maiden name! But it is simple to use it on Google, Yahoo or MSN to access to the mailbox... because in this case too, the mother's maiden name is often one of the recovery question... So even with so few information, which could already lead to an identity theft... you can already do some very harmful things... The problem with the dream of the British Big Brother is that it seems that every one can look over its shoulder... So imagine what could happen in the future with biometric data (have a look to this cartoon thank you Anonymous ;-) ) That's why I think that we have to think very carefully to the information we let institutions to record... And how they do that! That was the principal reason of my previous post...

Tags: maiden, big brother, National Identity Register, Identity and Passport Service