Info of 1.7m on missing disk

2008-10-13 20:57

London - A missing computer hard drive may contain personal information on about 1.7 million people, British Defense Minister Bob Ainsworth said on Monday.

In a written statement to Parliament, Ainsworth said it was unlikely the portable hard drive was encrypted.

Much of the data lost related to military recruits, and included details of next of kin, passport and National Insurance numbers, and drivers' license and bank information, Ainsworth said.

The military said last week that one of its contractors, EDS UK, lost the hard drive. The contractor said the disk had been stored at its secure facility in Hook, a town about 70km west of London.

Last month, the military said a disk carrying sensitive personnel information was stolen from a base.

Earlier this year, the military said a laptop with details of 600 000 new and prospective recruits was stolen.

- AP