Kowabunga

FoxNews had this report:

A missing computer backup tape containing personal information on state employees and family members also holds the names and Social Security numbers of 225,000 taxpayers, Gov. Ted Strickland announced Wednesday.

The tape, stolen last week from a state intern's car, contained information on taxpayers who have not cashed state income tax refund checks issued in 2005, 2006 and through May 29, 2007, Strickland revealed in what has become a nearly daily release of newfound information since the first disclosure about the tape Friday. The list includes checks that were cashed after May 29.

In addition, the tape includes the names and Social Security numbers of 602 lottery winners who have yet to cash their winning tickets and 2,488 Ohioans who have yet to cash checks for unclaimed funds payments, Strickland said. It also holds the names and bank account numbers for approximately 650 to 1,000 electronic funds transfers that weren't completed because they were bounced back by banking institutions.

Am I the only one sick of these things happening? What was a State intern doing in possesion of a computer backup tape? The piece claims it was a standard security praution to take the tape home? That's crazy! The intern left it in an unlocked car!

No sane employer would set up a security measure of "take the tape home," so why is the State of Ohio claiming such. Responsible data centers have contracts with outside vendors who pick up such backup tapes and lock them in a vault. Why isn't that the practice with this Ohio State data center?

Now the taxpayers are stuck footing the bill to the tune of at least $700,000 due to this intern's unacceptaple negligence. Is the manager who made the decision to use this "practice" still working for the state or has he been fired with cause; and what about the intern?

On the upside, this public exposure of Ohio's negligent safe-guarding of private/sensitive data is forcing them to change their idiotic policy and farm the storage of backups with an offsite vender.