Bosses in Government Departments and Private Sector Businesses That Lose Data Should be Prosecuted say 9 out of 10 Britons

LONDON - Stonewood Group Launches Petition in Response to Survey Findings

89% of Britons believe that it should be a criminal offence
for a Government department or private sector business to lose data
negligently, according to a survey conducted by GFK NoP on behalf of the
Stonewood Group, the world’s leading designer and manufacturer of HMG
CAPS-accredited encrypted hard drives.

In the last year alone, 29 million people have been affected by data loss
from a variety of Government departments and public sector bodies. 61% of
respondents felt Gordon Brown’s admission in November last year that the
current Government “can’t promise that every single item of information will
always be safe” was unacceptable.

Grant Gutteridge, a director at Stonewood, is frustrated that the message
to protect confidential personal details is still being ignored. “Companies
and individuals seldom recognise the value of their data until such time as
it has been breached or lost. The technology, is available and the data
losses avoidable.”

“The Government isn’t doing enough to protect individuals’ data by
enforcing encryption. Data needs to be diligently managed and stored on
secure, encrypted devices. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) wants
all organisations, especially those with large databases, to make sure that
they are addressing all the risks of data handling,” said Grant. All too
often security is seen as a costly add-on and not as a fundamental core
business requirement. If organisations fail to treat people’s personal
information securely they risk losing the confidence and trust of
individuals, and the ICO has powers to take enforcement action against
organisations that fail to meet their obligations under the Data Protection
Act.

Following the survey findings, Stonewood plans to launch an online
petition that will be presented to the Government to help raise the issue of
security, coinciding with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)
Personal Information Promise, a separate initiative to address data security
and encourage safer data handling. The voluntary charter aims to enable
businesses and Government departments to demonstrate their organisations’
senior-level commitment to data protection.

If you wish to sign the petition to call on the Government to ensure data
is diligently managed and stored on secure, encrypted devices, please click
on the following link: www.eclypt.com/news.aspx.

About Stonewood: www.Eclypt.com

Contact:
Zara Lintin
+44(0)2070332660
zlintin@uk.peppercom.com

Source: Stonewood

Contact: Zara Lintin, +44(0)2070332660, zlintin at uk.peppercom.com