'Shambolic' - TUV's Timothy Gaston highlights second apparent data breach in a week by Stormont
Just days after sensitive personal information was posted on the Northern Ireland Assembly website, another apparent data breach has been highlighted – this time on the Executive Office (TEO) committee’s own website.
The latest incident has been reported by the TUV MLA Timothy Gaston – who also reported last week’s incident to officials and the UK information commissioner, who is now investigating.
Both incidents relate to information supplied by members of the public to an equality consultation run by the TEO committee.
An Assembly spokesperson said: “As part of the ongoing review of material published online in relation to the inquiry into the ‘Gaps in Equality Legislation’, we have removed a small number of additional submissions while we consider our data protection obligations.”
Mr Gaston told the News Letter that at Wednesday’s meeting of the committee MLAs were told that personal information had been published online, and “officials moved as soon as possible to remove it”.
The North Antrim MLA said: “The briefing stressed that this was not an outworking or responsibility of the committee and was a matter for the Assembly Commission. However, late [on Wednesday] evening my office was contacted by a member of the public who highlighted to us information of a similar nature which was on the Committee for the Executive’s own web page.
“I have asked the committee clerk who is responsible for the committee’s online content. Surely in this instance it can’t be an outside agency’s fault? Whoever it was appears to have chosen to copy the submission across, didn’t spot there was a data breach (in this and the rest), then published it.
“The content has now been removed but after the assurances ... in committee it is fair to say that matters have degenerated to a farcical level.
“To paraphrase Lady Bracknell, to publish personal information on one website may be regarded as a misfortune. To publish personal information on two websites seems like carelessness.
“How can the public have confidence in responding to consultations run by Stormont when their personal information is treated in such a cavalier fashion?
“It’s shambolic,” he added.
In relation to the first incident the assembly said the information from the consultation was “inadvertently” published online, while the ICO said: “The Northern Ireland Assembly Commission has reported an incident and we are assessing the information provided.”