Many of the intended users of the data were for non-statistical purposes.
Even for statisticians, if I want to draw a sample for survey, I can get a dataset with a unique identifier, draw the sample, which may be stratified or matched to characteristics, pass the list of identifiers back to the data holder, who can then send the names and contact details to the survey house. This is quite a lot of work for the data holder, who might easily think it simpler to give me the lot, including names and contact details, for me to draw the sample and then pass on to the survey house.
Equally, some of the uses might involve data matching - using 'fuzzy matching' etc that requires identifiers. The recent publication of research showing that a high proportion of prisoners were ex-forces would probably have benefitted from the lost home office data.
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-----Original Message-----
From: email list for Radical Statistics [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of R.Thomas
Sent: 01 September 2008 15:57
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: A bunch of losers
[I do wish that the default settings on this list were restored to 'reply to all' I wonder how many messages are lost because people think that they are replying to the list when their message is actually going only to the author of a list message]
This issue on loss of non-anonymised data draws attention to a
fundamental point about the use of statistics. 99% of users are only
interested in aggregate statistics. The need to non-anonymised data is
surely small. So why does it appear that many copies of non-anonymised
data exist?
Ray Thomas, Faculty of Social Sciences, Open University
-----Original Message-----
From: email list for Radical Statistics [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Jane Galbraith
Sent: Friday, August 29, 2008 2:51 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: A bunch of losers
Does anyone know the justification for allowing data out of the Home Office on prisoners etc in a non-anonymised form?
The report said that PA Consulting were using the data for "research".
What sort of research requires full names and addresses?
Could the Office for National Statistics give other Departments guidance on how to share data whilst protecting privacy?
Best wishes
Jane
--
Mrs Jane Galbraith
Honorary Research Associate
Department of Statistical Science
University College London
Gower Street
London WC1E 6BT
[log in to unmask]
> GC Weekly
> 28 August 2008
> ====================================================
> News about e-government and information-age public services in the UK
and
> worldwide from Kable, publisher of GC Magazine. Please pass on this
> service to any colleagues who may like to subscribe -- see details at
the
> bottom of this mail.
> ====================================================
>
> A bunch of losers
>
> Last November, HM Revenue and Customs lost its entire database of 25m
> people receiving child benefit on unencrypted, portable media. If
found,
> the 7m bank accounts in that database might have been compromised. Its
> chair Paul Gray resigned, the chancellor issued an ashen faced
> apology, and government embarked on a series of information security
> reviews.
>
> Last week, the Home Office lost its entire database of prisoners in
> England and Wales, as well as details of thousands of prolific
offenders
> and drug users - nearly 130,000 people in total - held on unencrypted,
> portable media. If found, it could lead to vigilante action against
> criminals and the government being sued. The
home
> secretary blamed its contractor, PA Consulting, which lost the data.
>
> This is pathetic. Although the incident damages PA Consulting's
> reputation, the Home Office is fully responsible for the loss.
>
> Since last November, many departments including HMRC have made efforts
to
> improve their information security. One obvious lessons from then was
that
> it should be technically impossible to download an entire database of
> personal information. The Home Office clearly failed to learn this.
>
> If the department was trying to undermine its case for both the
National
> Identity Scheme and its desired central database of all emails, phone
> calls and other communications, it could scarcely have done better.
>
> Martin Rathfelder
> Director
> Socialist Health Association
> 22 Blair Road
> Manchester
> M16 8NS
> 0870 013 0065
> www.sochealth.co.uk
>
> If you do not wish to be on our mailing list please let us know and we
> will remove you.
>
>
>
> Ursula Huws wrote:
>>
>> Is this of any interest to anyone?
>> Ursula
>>
>> ---------------------------- Original Message
>> ----------------------------
>> Subject: 2nd ANNOUNCEMENT: New Techniques and Technologies for
>> Statistics Conference - Brussels 18-20 February 2009
>> From: [log in to unmask]
>> Date: Thu, August 21, 2008 3:08 pm
>> To:
>> Cc: [log in to unmask]
>> [log in to unmask]
>> [log in to unmask]
>> [log in to unmask]
>>
------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> --
>>
>> Second announcement
>> The NTTS (New Techniques and Technologies for Statistics) seminar is
an
>> international scientific conference on the impact of new technologies
on
>> statistical collection, production and dissemination systems. The
>> conference is intended to stimulate and facilitate the preparation of
>> new innovative projects, to encourage co-operation and possible
>> building
of
>> consortia by researchers with the aim of enhancing the quality and
>> usefulness of official statistics. The main scope is to facilitate
the
>> relationship between official statisticians and researchers, in order
to
>> favour the proliferation of networking and ideas.
>> This new NTTS conference will carry on the tradition of NTTS/ETK
>> conferences which have been organised in 1992, 1995, 1998 and 2001.
>> NTTS 2009 will be held in Brussels from 18 to 20 February 2009 in the
>> Charlemagne building of the European Commission.
>> Submission of abstracts is now open, until 4 November; instructions
and
>> the submission form are available on the conference website:
>>
>> http://www.ntts2009.eu
>>
>> _____________________
>> NTTS 2009 Secretariat
>> Eurostat - Unit B5
>> Tel: +352 4301-34704
>> Fax: +352 4301-34149
>> E-mail: [log in to unmask]
>> Postal address:
>> European Commission
>> Eurostat Unit B5
>> BECH A2/163
>> L-2920 LUXEMBOURG
>> ---
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