#publisher alternate (BUTTON) Close Skip to main content sign in * Saved for later * Comment activity * Edit profile * Email preferences * Change password * Sign out subscribe search dating more from the guardian: * dating * jobs change edition: * switch to the UK edition switch to the US edition switch to the AU edition International * switch to the UK edition * switch to the US edition * switch to the Australia edition The Guardian * home * > UK * > society * law * scotland * wales * northern ireland * education * media * home * UK selected * world * sport * football * opinion * culture * business * lifestyle * fashion * environment * tech * travel browse all sections close Local government Councils have lost or misused private data thousands of times, says watchdog Call for greater penalties as examples include child protection files left on train, worker using CCTV to watch a wedding and another digging into benefit claims A council worker used CCTV to watch a colleague's wedding - one of thousands of data and privacy breaches, says Big Brother Watch. A council worker used CCTV to watch a colleague's wedding - one of thousands of data and privacy breaches, says Big Brother Watch. Photograph: Rex Press Association Tuesday 11 August 2015 06.11 BST Last modified on Tuesday 11 August 2015 06.29 BST * Share on Facebook * Share on Twitter * Share via Email * Share on Pinterest * Share on LinkedIn * Share on Google+ * Share on WhatsApp This article is 5 months old Related: Public bodies are releasing confidential personal data by accident, activists say Sensitive personal information has been lost or stolen in thousands of data breaches by councils, according to a study by privacy campaign group Big Brother Watch. In one case a social worker left papers containing confidential records about children and information linked to sex offenders on a train; in another, a CCTV operator use cameras to watch a colleague's wedding. Local authorities recorded a total of 4,236 data breaches in three years from April 2011 - a rate of almost four every day, the study found. Sensitive or confidential information was compromised in 260 of the cases, while breaches involved personal data linked to children on 658 occasions. In some cases council staff were found to have accessed material "for personal interest". Big Brother Watch called for custodial sentences to be introduced for the most serious data breaches after finding only one in 10 resulted in disciplinary action and only a single case out them all led to a prosecution. The group's director, Emma Carr, said: "Despite local councils being trusted with increasing amounts of our personal data this report highlights that they are simply not able to say it is safe with them. Related: Right to be forgotten: Swiss cheese internet, or database of ruin? "A number of examples show shockingly lax attitudes to protecting confidential information. For so many children and young people to have had their personal information compromised is deeply disturbing. "With only a tiny fraction of staff being disciplined or dismissed this raises the question of how seriously local councils take protecting the privacy of the public." The report, based on responses to freedom of information requests, said data was lost or stolen on 401 occasions, while there were 628 instances of incorrect or inappropriate information being shared on emails, letters and faxes. More than 5,000 letters were sent to the wrong address or included content meant for another recipient, while there were 99 cases of unauthorised access to or disclosing of data. Researchers also found that a total of 197 mobile phones, computers, tablets and USBs were lost or stolen. More than two in three incidents led to no disciplinary action at all, while staff resigned in 39 cases and 50 employees were dismissed. Examples of breaches included: o A social worker at Lewisham council in London accidentally leaving a bundle of papers on the train. It included personal or sensitive data relating to 10 children such as detailed confidential records about the children and family with names, addresses and dates of birth. It also included "third party information" in relation to sex offenders as well as police reports and child protection reports. The individual resigned during disciplinary procedures. o A CCTV operator at Cheshire East council watched part of the wedding of a colleague and was issued with "management instruction" on future use of equipment. o An unencrypted laptop containing the details of 200 schoolchildren was stolen from Aberdeenshire council. It was later recovered. No disciplinary action was taken but the matter was reported to the information commissioner's office. o An employee at Thanet in Kent was dismissed after accessing benefit claim records "inappropriately". o In Portsmouth a member of staff was sacked for passing "highly sensitive confidential" information to a third party. Freedom of information requests were sent to all local authorities in the United Kingdom. Big Brother Watch said 167 town halls reported no data breaches at all over the period. A spokesman for the Local Government Association said: "Councils take data protection extremely seriously and staff are given ongoing training in handling confidential data. "Given the huge volume of data councils handle, breaches are proportionately rare. "When they do occur, robust investigations and reviews are immediately undertaken to ensure processes are tightened." __________________________________________________________________ More news Topics * Local government * Data protection * Privacy __________________________________________________________________ * Share on Facebook * Share on Twitter * Share via Email * Share on Pinterest * Share on LinkedIn * Share on Google+ * Share on WhatsApp * Reuse this content View all comments > comments Sign in or create your Guardian account to join the discussion. This discussion is closed for comments. We're doing some maintenance right now. You can still read comments, but please come back later to add your own. Commenting has been disabled for this account (why?) 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