Filing Cabinet Scandal (Kinda)

A local council was found in breach of the Data Protection Act after sensitive records were found in a second-hand filing cabinet. According to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the records were duplicates of a social worker’s casework. The data were discovered when a member of the public purchased the filing cabinet.

The council’s Chief Executive has now formally agreed to improve its furniture and equipment disposal practices and educate its staff to its storage policies.

Said Sally-Anne Poole, Head of Enforcement at the ICO, “Organisations need to have the appropriate policies in place and staff need to be aware of these policies to ensure personal information is stored securely.”