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MPs flaunt data security
PC PERIPHERAL PUNTERS Kensington recently reached out a giving hand by offering 150 UK MPs a free laptop lock to help make sure it didn't go walkabout. Just eight responded.
Given that sensitive data is being lost by government officials on a shockingly regular basis, one would have thought that these representatives would have leaped on the opportunity to set a good example, especially since it wouldn't cost them (or us) a penny.
At least there was one small saving grace, as those who did bother to respond all said yes to the offer.
Kensington offered 50 MPs from each of the three main parties a Micro Saver DS notebook lock and since just about every laptop on earth has a Kensington lock slot, we can't think of any reason why they wouldn't take the company up on its kind offer.
Despite our Prime Minister's recent 'zero tolerance' on data loss policy, just three Labour MPs, three Lib Dems and two Conservatives opted for the lock.
"Despite a number of high-profile data theft cases and a stern talking to by the Prime Minister, Government officials are continuing to ignore basic security guidelines," said Stephen Hoare, head of Product Marketing at Kensington Europe.
"Our offer of a free lock had genuinely good intentions," he added.
"We're keen to ensure that data is protected from loss with the public's best interests in mind."
Given that in March this year it was revealed that 1,052 governmental laptops have been lost in recent years, the mind boggles as to why these ministers, who are supposed to be paragons of our society and fight for our rights, would so blatantly fail to heed their own warnings. µ
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I guess it is too much to hope that they all ignored the offer because they had read how easy it is to break Kensington locks.

example reference http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/08/09/0218225&tid=172
Would I be correct in assuming you mean flout?
Maybe most MP's already have a laptop lock, and thus don't need another free one?

It's not as if the laptop lock is a new item, they've been around for years already.

Nice job promoting Kensington though ;)
Always look beyond the façade for therein lies reality. Why would anyone give away anything in the first place ? For Love which is also known as satisfaction. Materialism has only one role and that is to elicit Love through the act of generosity. Is that up-market named thingy generosity or is it a pedlar of some variant. As such, there is no rest for the wicked for once you are a principle of something, you are always that something, 25/8 if possible. The joke here is that they are so good at angularities that they can turn the lack of cleanliness into a justification – perfumery. Can some lock really deter a determined crook ? Only an opportunitic one, of course. The truth about security for software is software itelf – encryption. Prevention is better than cure ? Agreed – software security it is. Cunning’s aim is to make others cunning and a pedlar’s aim is to make others pedlars too - for their wares, of course, but politics is such that if you can screw to other idiot-cum-lunatic to glorify yourself, you derserve to run a country.
How about making it a legality for anyone who carries personal data on their laptop/pendrive/<insert portable device here> to first encrypt it?

TrueCrypt does the job, as do several other vendors products, at 256-bit AES standard, and I believe even an MP could manage to download and install it right!

A lot of financial institutions have allready make 256-AES standard compulsory on all portable data devices, why can't the government do the same?
Maybe they already had locks?
Maybe they didn't / couldn't accept gifts / bribes from a company.
Maybe they emailed when they were on holiday.
Maybe they only have desktops.
Maybe Kensington just wanted an easy "story".
Yes of course, how dare they reject yet another freebie 'gift' spam that they might have to declare or get in trouble over. Especially since these locks are so useful on the train, in the car, on the loo, indeed wherever you're toting your laptop around.

Surely a locked drawer is as good as one of these things (and neater).

And of course, these devices magically encrypt all the data on the laptop and ensure that only trusted eyes can see it, thus preventing the other 99% of data loss scenarios ...

Something like a href="http://www.discryptor.net/" title="Discryptor" http://www.discryptor.net/ /a should be mentioned...