The List: Canada student Loan Privacy Breach

Student Loans Canada - The List: Canada student Loan Privacy Breach

Imagine being on a list that 583,000 Canadians are on. You might say... "Wow, what did I, Joe Smith, from small town Canada do to be on this list?"

Student Loans Canada

As it turns out, Joe Smith simply took out a student loan between 2000 and 2006. His private data is now missing. The following is a timeline of events...

• November 5, 2012: revenue Canada laborer discovers an external hard drive is missing.

• November 28: Departmental protection officer is notified.

• December 6: Officials learn personal data of 583 thousand Canada Student Loans clients from 2000 to 2006 is on the missing hard drive.

• December 14: The Office of the Privacy Commissioner is notified of the missing hard drive.

• Jan. 7, 2013: The incident is referred to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Like a poorly written story, there are quite a few plot holes that need to be filled. Do you have a right to know how and why? Of course you do.

On November 5th, 2012 an laborer of "Human Resources and Skills development Canada" or the Hrsdc discovered that an external hard drive was missing.

The staff of the Hrsdc simply decided to wait nearly an whole month before notifying the departmental protection officer on November 28th.

It was roughly 9 days later before it was determined what data was contained on the hard drive.

The Hrsdc held onto this data for another 9 days before notifying the office of the privacy commissioner on December 14th.

2 months after the hard drive initially was reported missing; the decision was ultimately made to article the theft to the Rcmp on January 7th.

I'm sure we all have questions to ask about this situation. My question... Why did it take a full month to settle what was on the missing hard drive? And why was it a full month and a half after the protection officer was notified that the Rcmp was brought into this sticky situation.

My best, uneducated in the art of losing hard drives with sensitive data on them, guess is that it was easier to stall a little... Oh say 2 months before reporting this situation to the Rcmp... Maybe it'll just turn up like a missing set of keys between couch cushions thus avoiding a media thunderstorm. No harm, no foul?

Feeling helpless? I know I am. Is there anything that could have done to prevent this violation of privacy? maybe traveling back in time to convince your-self that not getting a student loan would be a viable option. Alas, like many Canadians I had no choice. I needed an study and needed help to get from where I was to where I wanted to be.

I hope you will get new knowledge about Student Loans Canada. Where you may put to easy use in your daily life. And above all, your reaction is passed about Student Loans Canada.