ID database snooped for celebrities' secrets
A GLASGOW council worker was sacked and another resigned after they were caught snooping into the core database of the Government's Identity Card scheme.
The two Glasgow staff were caught snooping on people in the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Customer Information Systems (CIS) database, which includes among its 85 million records the personal details about everyone in the UK, and which the Identity and Passport Service plans to use as the foundation of the national ID scheme.
"A member of staff tried to access stuff about famous figures," said a spokesman for Glasgow City Council. He said the DWP alerted the council about the breach. He refused to name the celebrity or say how the council dealt with the matter.
The INQ has learned, however, that the staffer caught looking up personal data belonging to celebrities was sacked.
The DWP warned councils in January that if they didn't bring prosecutions against staff who snooped in the CIS, it might seek to prosecute them itself. Between 2006 and 2009, staff at 30 local authorities were caught with their fingers in the CIS.
Another Glasgow staffer who was caught looking at personal data belonging to "someone they knew" resigned before disciplinary steps could be taken.
"In both cases, neither works at the council any more," said the Glasgow spokesman. "It's potentially a matter for prosecution and if that's something the DWP wants to look at, we take this very seriously."
Some offending councils said they decided not to prosecute staff caught snooping after consulting the DWP. A Department for Work and Pensions spokesperson said: "It is for local authorities to consider appropriate action, including legal action."
"The small number of incidents shows that the CIS security system is working," he added.
The DWP claims it uses automatic measures and sample checks to help spot unauthorised accesses to the database. [How reassuring - Ed] µ
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but but... think of the children!
Should they be sacked for stealing public money and defrauding the government? It's sick how 'important' people get away with things like this while this poor chap was probably looking up the address and date of birth for a celeb to send him/her a birthday card!
Every year, everyone should get a report that details all accesses to their information on this (and other) government database, with a reason. I.e., you might understand seeing a search when you applied for a new bank account or a mortgage. Thus fishing expedition searches would stand out and could be queried. It's called a basic check and balance, something that government doesn't appear to understand.
Just remove celebrities, politicians, rich people and other importans peeps from the database.
I have to ask.
How do discipline or Prosecute the Staff who haven't been caught rifling the database, or do they get off scot free? :(
It's sad when people of poorer third world nations have more freedom than those of us having their every move/action recorded into a data base by an info power pig nation.
If the government likes these databases so much, why not create a real public one, similar to Wikipedia? The bar tender takes the MP's fingerprint from the glass before cleaning it, the bank clerk fills in the financial information, and the kindergarten worker adds the saucy details about the MP's unsocial spawn.
Is Glasgow full of autism now?
maybe it could be snooped for MP's details?
then, at least, they could be brought to justice by an old fashioned lynch mob because the justice system is doing nothing about it!
gary - i dont think there is room for autism because of all the boozers and junkies
I expect the Daily Mail reading retardicons are still repeating that mantra. However, this is proof (if it were ever needed) that we'd all prefer to hide our personal information from the very sort of people that would quite like to have a look at it.
The famous are known to customise their lifestyle by choice, or not to please the most of their public, if they want more public they adapt more lifestyles, or even the different lifestyles they show from one instance to the next in fact who can tell when the famous switch is always stuck in rehearsal mode. Is there a doctor for that? [Rhetorical]
The media like clockwork are zooming in at any colour change these famous chameleons make, then like magic the chameleons blend in the masses and environment, until the closets from every lifestyles of each chameleon are opened one by one.
Is anybody bored yet? You've seen all the colours, and it's still a bunch of chameleons!
I did hear of scientists trying to make a chameleon change transparent [see trough]. Now that would be a first.