tim ireland : search engine optimisation : viral marketing : weblog marketing
to front page
to date archives
to category archives
national service
© Tim Ireland 2004-2006
Design by Wibbler
RSS | RSD | Atom
« Let's All Pick on Vulnerable Right-Wing Chicks Week: Part Five | Main | Unity's new home »
November 21, 2007Ten silverish linings
BBC - Ministers under fire over records: The government's "basic competence" has been questioned by the Tories after the loss in the post of computer discs with 25m people's personal details on them. The child benefit data on them includes names, ages, bank and address details. (timeline) (q & a)
1. If, like me, you enjoy the privilege of almost certainly being on Disc One or Disc Two; congratulations, you are officially part of a major catastrophe, and free to sell your story to a tabloid newspaper for big money. (Warning: you may have a little competition, so be aware that the non-exclusive status of your story may have an impact on price.)
2. None of the newspapers have come up with a snappy name for this disaster yet. Opportunity knocks. (No 'gates', please. We're British.)
3. Well, that's about it for the ID card and database scheme. (Or is it?)
4. Rather than being teased with a tip, you have already seen the bulk of the iceberg, and very little effort is required to see the rest.
5. It's enormous fun watching people who refuse to be held accountable for their own actions calling for accountability.
6. Wasn't it refreshing to see a government admitting to themselves that some things are just too big to spin? [see comments]
7. That said, yesterday was also a jolly good day to bury (other) bad news.
8. You could be a lowly junior revenue department official (or even a bicycle courier) and hold the lives of millions in your hands. Who says there's no room for advancement in this workaday world?
9. Life being what it is, something amusing is bound to be discovered in the desperate search for the discs. For example, one of them might be found being used as a drinks coaster by a glazier in Berwick-upon-Tweed.
10. Chin up. What's the worst that could happen?
Posted by Manic on November 21, 2007 9:41 AM in the category The War on Stupid
Pings (Trackback)
For trackbacks, this is the URL:
http://www.bloggerheads.com/cgi-bin/mt-tbbh_20x07.pl/1680
Comments
When I first read about this on the BBC website yesterday, I was staggered by the sheer volume of data that's been lost - OK it's 2 CDs, but data on 25,000,000 people !
Then the Government have the cheek to say that if a member of the public is a victim of fraud due to this data being available, "they would have protection under the banking code" - in other words, the Banks will compensate them - not the Government - and where do the Banks get this money .... from other customers in charges of course.
Posted by: Paul.Ferrari at November 21, 2007 10:25 AM
Nice to see Gordon's old spin doctor, Charlie Whelan, doing a spot of corpse-waving this morning:
The government might have treated our personal data like a Spice Girls CD they were selling on eBay but at least we don't have a dead kid. Foul.
Posted by: Justin McKeating at November 21, 2007 10:50 AM
2. Disc Over?
Posted by: scotch at November 21, 2007 10:51 AM
If anyone got their hands on my data they're more than welcome to try to get a credit card in my name. I can't, so if they manage I want to know how so I can get one too!
Posted by: Piers at November 21, 2007 11:06 AM
Justin: *sigh*... #6 retracted.
Scotch: How careless of you to toss the glorious trigger word 'child' to one side. The resulting brand needs to convey specifics & scale, *and* needs to remind us all that we should pleeeeeeeeease think of the children.
Posted by: Manic at November 21, 2007 11:09 AM
DG has a take on this which you may enjoy
http://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2007_11_01_archive.html#1469302919332960901
Posted by: poons at November 21, 2007 11:46 AM
Heh.
Home Office Watch are having some fun with it, too:
http://www.homeofficewatch.com/index.php/2007/11/21/were-sending-the-home-office-a-congratulations-card-today-are-you/
Posted by: Manic at November 21, 2007 1:26 PM
Anyone the tiniest bit bothered that all the affected bank accounts are now tagged and monitored for 'suspicious activity'?
I find myself wondering when, or if, such monitoring might cease and just who might be judging what amounts to 'suspicious activity'.
Posted by: akhen3sir at November 21, 2007 1:38 PM
Re:2 as heard on Radio 4
Winter of Disk Content
Posted by: Lobster Blogster at November 22, 2007 8:38 AM
Hahahahaha. The Indy, disappointingly, goes with 'datagate' for the front page headline... but Simon Carr offers a far better alternative in his column:
http://comment.independent.co.uk/commentators/simon_carr/article3182304.ece
He calls it 'data rape'.
:o)
Posted by: Manic at November 22, 2007 8:55 AM
Off topic, sorry. I had this burning question for Nadine, so when the chance came up, I just had to ask.
http://sim-o.blogspot.com/2007/11/lets-see-if-this-gets-published.html
Posted by: Sim-O at November 22, 2007 10:34 AM
Hmm... so the Government have a got a bad case of "slipped disk" have they? Doesn't surprise me considering these clowns personal records...
Posted by: the.web.hermit at November 22, 2007 6:58 PM
Sim-o: You what?! How dare you go off-topic? You're banned, you are. In fact, I think - given the level of vitriol - that I should stop taking comments altogether.
PS - Ellee is now officially an expert in two-way communication:
http://elleeseymour.com/2007/11/21/my-pr-diploma/
Posted by: Manic at November 22, 2007 7:20 PM
As I'm ignoring your ban, does this count as stalking?
I spotted that, I wonder how many different ways of calling someone a stalker she now knows.
Posted by: Sim-O at November 22, 2007 7:58 PM
Stalker?! Mate, there are *kids* in this house, and you've just left a comment at *night*!
You're a PAEDO!!!!!!
(rages)
(throws brick through window)
;oP
Posted by: Manic at November 22, 2007 8:18 PM
Lol!!
That's the Bloggerheads Diversion, I win!!
*starts dialing Simon Smith*
Posted by: Sim-O at November 22, 2007 8:56 PM
Post a comment
Thanks for signing in, . Now you can comment. (sign out)
(If you're new to Bloggerheads, you may need to be approved by the moderator before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)