Tabloid rag says 8.6 million unencrypted NHS records are missing

UNENCRYPTED AND SENSITIVE information on 8.63 million people might have been stolen along with a laptop from the NHS, potentially making this one of biggest, if not the biggest British loss of personal data ever.

The Sun, Rupert Murdoch's UK tabloid newspaper not often known for its reliability or accuracy, has reported that a laptop, which included the massive store of data, went missing three weeks ago. As well as that information, the Sun said, it also included records of hospital visits and procedures.

However, the data breach might not turn out to be as bad as it first sounded, as it didn't include people's names. But the newspaper said it included postcodes as well as gender, age and ethnic origin details, which taken all together could be used to identify individuals.

It's also unclear yet whether the computer was actually stolen or simply misplaced, as it was one of 20 that were 'lost', with eight having since been recovered.

The Sun inferred that some of the data was private and confidential enough to be used as tools for blackmail, as people might not want details of particularly serious illnesses and diseases to be out in the open.

In a statement, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) said, "Any allegation that sensitive personal information has been compromised is concerning and we will now make enquiries to establish the full facts of this alleged data breach." µ