10,000 N Eire cops and workers have their particulars uncovered after spreadsheet screw-up • Graham Cluley

Earlier this week, the small print of all 10,000 workers on the Police Service of Northern Eire (PSNI) had been uncovered after a spreadsheet containing the information was mistakenly revealed on-line.

The spreadsheet, which had been created in response to a Freedom of Info (FOI) request, revealed the surname, preliminary, rank or grade, and placement of all PSNI workers.

As well as, the spreadsheet described what division people labored in. Maybe much less scary if it’s human assets or accounts, however alarming when you labored in an space comparable to intelligence or surveillance.

The routine FOI request had solely requested details about the full variety of officers and workers in any respect ranks and grades throughout the PSNI. And but, an worker unintentionally included far far an excessive amount of info – presumably via a cock-up, moderately than with malicious intent.

The information breach has raised fears for officers’ and workers’s private security. A whole lot of cops in Northern Eire had been murdered throughout The Troubles, and a few are nonetheless below risk from paramilitaries.

In the event you’re working for the police service in Northern Eire, you’re unlikely to be shouting from the rooftops the place you’re employed every day – the truth is, it’s doable there are members of your personal household who don’t know what you do for residing.

The delicate info was accessible for anybody who accessed the “What Do They Know” website for greater than two hours on Tuesday afternoon.

In a statement revealed on its web site, the PSNI has mentioned it’s investigating the information breach, and has requested that anybody who did entry the spreadsheet delete it instantly.

The PSNI has knowledgeable the Info Commissioner’s Workplace of the incident. In a press conference, PSNI chief constable Simon Byrne described the breach of information as an “unprecedented disaster” for the drive, however says he won’t be resigning.

There have been unconfirmed claims that the delicate information has been circulating on WhatsApp.

What a large number…

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