Friday, September 22, 2006
Over 1,000 Commerce Dept. laptops missing
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Some 1,137 laptop computers -- almost a quarter of them containing "personally identifiable" information -- used by Commerce Department personnel have gone missing since 2001, the department said late Thursday.

However, there is no evidence any data has been improperly accessed, and most of the missing computers used passwords, encryption technology or complex software that's difficult to access. Such practices limit "the potential for misuse of data," the department said.

"While we know of no instances of personal information being improperly used, we regret each instance of lost material and believe the volume of lost equipment is unacceptable," Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez said in a statement. "We are moving to institute better management, accountability, inventory controls, 100 percent encryption and improved training."

About half of the missing laptops with personal data were stolen, often from employees' vehicles, while most of the rest were simply not returned by former employees.

The Census Bureau -- a unit of the Commerce Department -- had 672 missing computers. Of those, 246 contained some degree of personal data, 107 of which were fully encrypted. Some 325 laptops went missing at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, although only three contained personal data. In July, a laptop containing personal information on 146 employees and government contractors was stolen from a NOAA office in Seattle after a fire, the department said. All of them were notified and offered credit counseling.
Posted By CNN's Washington Bureau: 9/22/2006 10:52:00 AM ET | Permalink
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