BP lost the notebook from 13 thousand personal records

Personal data of 13 thousand American citizens who submitted compensation claims to BP after oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico last year probably got into strange hands after the employee of the company lost the notebook containing these data. Information which was stored on the lost computer was in not encrypted form. It contains the names given a social insurance, the addresses, phone numbers and dates of birth of those who filed the claims connected with Deepwater Horizon accident.

It is said in the statement of BP that personal information was stored in the table prepared by the company for control of the claims resulting from accident. "The message about loss of the notebook was immediately transferred to law enforcement agencies and a security service of BP, but it was not succeeded to find the computer, despite careful search", - BP reported.

These data were a part of claims in legal procedure which was begun still before BP created the Gulf Coast Claims Facility fund from which compensations by the victim of oil spill are paid. It is not said in the statement about when it became known of loss of the notebook. However Associated Press with reference to the representative of BP emphasizes that the notebook is lost on March 1 during the business trip.

BP was silent nearly a month before reporting about it to the victims, because of "necessary care in the course of the investigation". BP reported that the lost notebook is equipped with some functionality of security which allows administrators to switch off far off the computer "under certain circumstances".

However any details about what these circumstances can be and whether a system is available since then, it is not reported. "Due to the continuation of the investigation and search of the gone notebook, we cannot tell additional details which can threaten results of investigation", says the company.

It is noted that British Petroleum sent written notices to the victims, informing them on a potential compromise of their personal information and offered free control over services of crediting.

This loss - the last BP in very long list of the similar punctures connected with loss of the not ciphered personal data which are stored in notebooks and mobile devices of storage.

Such losses induced Massachusetts to undergo the obligatory certification necessary for enciphering of the confidential personal information which are stored on mobile devices of the company. Despite availability of numerous technologies of enciphering to risk reduction, many companies they are still not applied.