Britain Sorry for Mislaying Details of 25M

File under: I don't think "I'm so sorry." is fucking adequate.

You have to give certain details to the government, your employer, your bank, mortgage lender, your doctor. One expects these to be guarded carefully and you would be so wrong.

Britain's Treasury chief tried to reassure millions their personal details were safe Wednesday after the one of the biggest security breaches in the country's history - the loss of two computer disks containing details about nearly half the population.

Experts said the loss left millions of people exposed to identity theft and bank fraud.

"I can well understand people's anxiety and anger that this has happened. It should never have happened, and I apologize unreservedly for that," Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling told GMTV television.

There were gasps [Only gasps? They really are reserved.] from lawmakers in the House of Commons on Tuesday when Darling described the scale of the loss by the country's tax and customs service.

Two computer disks that went missing in the post while being sent from one government department to another contained names addresses, dates of birth, national insurance numbers and - in some cases - banking details for 25 million adults and children, nearly half the country's population of 60 million.

I assume you caught the "half the country's population" bit.

You have no privacy in most countries and very little security.

I admit I'm anal and paranoid, but every single question asked of me I analyze. Do you need this information? You're a goddamn supermarket and need to know my home phone number? Fuck off.

Most of the time I give as little personal data as is possible to complete the transaction I'm involved in. If the idiot clerk won't accept the non-information I'm willing to provide, I move on or demand to see the manager. Details of who I am and my life are mine and not any business of others.

Via The Guardian.