"----- This person should face criminal charges for taking the data home."
I would like to know why he took it home.
For the same reason that Willie Sutton robbed banks,,,,,
Because, the payout for the information on that hardrive was more than his salary.
I don't care why he took it home. The article clearly states it was improper for him to take it home. That means either ill intent or gross stupidity/negligence/incompetence. There is no good explaination for taking it home.
Because of this person's actions, I have to put a fraud alert on my credit bureaus and monitor them for the rest of my life.
These names can be sold to illegals who want fake ID. Am I alarmist? A little. I worked as a mortgage broker for 4 years, and those people whose ID's had been stolen lost years of their lives trying to repair the damage to their names and finances.
I am VERY suspect of this for the following reason: (WARNING: any general schedule federal employee taking part in this thread I am about to stereotype you)
In my 22 years of military service - I have met so few general schedule employees that would be so dedicated as to take work home with them that I could count them on one finger....
But, I guess we don't really know he (or she) took it home on purpose, do we. Maybe he was just misappropriating his government issued computer and the data was in it...
Any good lawyers here that want to take the lead on a class action suit???
That's what **I'D** like to know-- in addition to firing and prosecuting his @ss.
What are the odds this guy is a Dimocrat?
WHAT SHOULDN'T have happened is the laptop be stolen without a CMOS password being set to allow the machine to boot, and an encrypted filesystem for the sensitive data.
And, he should have had a "mother, may I?" letter on file. CYA.
/johnny