US Commerce Dept loses 1,137 laptops

US Commerce Dept loses 1,137 laptops

The US Commerce Department has lost 1,137 laptop computers since 2001, most of them assigned to the Census Bureau, according to officials. The Census Bureau, the main collector of information about Americans, lost 672 computers. Of those, 246 contained some personal data, the department said in a statement.

However, no personal information from any of the missing computers has been known to have been improperly used, the department said. The number of people affected by the equipment losses could not yet be determined.

The review was prompted by a request for information by Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., the chairman of the House Committee on Government Reform. In addition, a media inquiry - the department would not identify the source - came via a Freedom of Information Act filing, Commerce spokesman Richard Mills said in an interview.

Commerce Department Loses 1,137 Laptops (Guardian, 22 September 2006)