The problem of data loss and accidental disclosure is being fuelled by a rise in the number of laptops stolen in the UK, silicon.com can reveal.

In recent months organisations such as the Nationwide building society, the Metropolitan Police, Worcestershire County Council and Serco are among those left exposed as a result of laptop thefts - and the problem is only getting worse.

A Freedom of Information request submitted by silicon.com has revealed the number of laptops stolen in the past year (2006) has significantly increased on the previous year, according to the records of 28 UK police forces. (note: the figures do NOT include thefts from homes and offices).

The results displayed are:

Devon & Cornwall (+45%) ;

Bedfordshire (+35%) ;

Lothian & Borders (+31.50%) ;

Leicestershire (+21%) ;

Greater Manchester (+15.15%) ;

West Yorkshire (+15.14%) ;

Merseyside (+15%) ;

Metropolitan Police (+14.60%) ;

Cambridgeshire (+12.40%) ;

City of London (+8.80%) ;

West Mercia (+5.67%) ;

Northern Ireland (+4.47%) ;

Sussex (+3.31%) ;

Gloucester (-34.7%) ;

Nottinghamshire (-24.6 %) ;

Thames Valley (-24.4%) ;

Avon and Somerset (-20.6%) ;

Norfolk (-19%) ;

North Yorkshire (-16.9%) ;

Cheshire (-16.6%) ;

Humberside (-15.3%) ;

Suffolk (-14%) ;

Surrey (-13.5%) ;

Northumbria (-9%) ;

West Midlands (-1.4%) ;

Warwickshire (-0.8%).

Read the silicon.com report here. 

It is always worth remembering that when companies lose laptops or computers with data on the hard drives, they may consider that the data is theirs, for which they often  glibly say is recoverable from backups, but the identities they lose are yours.

 

This is the primary reason for the massive increase in identity theft.

The companies and organisations who hold your data, who keep it in non secure environments and personnel who are carrying your identities on laptops must be made to be responsible and liable for it. 

 

Say NO to ID Cards, Say NO to the database state.