Hawaii CDL holders at risk
A laptop computer containing the personal information of Hawaii commercial driver's license holders was recently stolen from the state Department of Transportation.How many victims? 1,892.
What type of personal information? Names, addresses, Social Security numbers and other unspecified personal information.
What happened? The laptop was assigned to a Transportation Department motor vehicle safety officer in charge of inspecting vehicles on the island of O'ahu, HI. It was discovered missing from a state office on March 18 after being left unattended for about half an hour, the Transportation Department said.
Details: There are about 30,000 people with commercial driver's licenses statewide, said Tammy Mori, department spokeswoman.
The information allowed state motor vehicle officers to conduct inspections in the field, the Department of Transportation said. This information is no longer contained in the laptops, the department said.
What was the response? The state notified affected individuals by letter. The Transportation Department is working with police and the attorney general to protect the identities of the drivers involved.
Quote: "We have also launched an internal investigation and are changing the process in which sensitive information is stored on laptops to prevent an incident like this from happening again," said Brennon Morioka, Transportation Department director.
Source: honoluluadvertiser.com, Honolulu Advertiser, “License holders alerted to theft,” April 8, 2009.
