By editorial@silicon.com, 12 August 2002 17:29
COMMENT A blunder that has left personal data of close to 7,500 individuals exposed on an e-tailer's website shouldn't be overplayed. After all, the site in question - www.ukshops.co.uk - didn't leave credit card details next to names and addresses, as we've seen in the past. Remember Powergen? Nor did the e-tailer post the data in the most prominent of places. But the fact that none of the affected consumers knew what had happened - at least not until a Canadian lawyer searched under his own name - isn't the point. Make no mistake, today's security breach isn't to be taken lightly. One security expert called the gaffe "a collector's piece", which implies web security and data protection has come a long way. It has and silicon.com is pleased to say so. Yet as one prominent lawyer, Mike Pullen of DLA, said: "What's the point of having a law [the Data Protection Act] if it isn't enforced?" When a company director is hauled into a Crown Court for such an offence and subjected to an unlimited fine and maybe asked to wipe a customer database - which he could be - then people will take note. That may sound harsh but then the best punishment is all about deterrent. Now all the Information Commissioner's Office has to do is find out who is behind the offending website. Let's cross that bridge tomorrow.
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