Question about PSNI data breach

I’m not trying to trivialise it but surely anyone so minded could fairly easily identify anyone working for the polis? Will the breach in practice change much?

Yeah why not? Smallish population, networks of informants and long history of needing to know who and what your neighbours are etc. If you’re the Real IRA you’ll get this info if you want it.

If it's all PSNI staff, then presumably it's going to include anyone currently undercover?

In that situation you'd have to pull them out wouldn't you? One helluvah risk to take to keep them operational.

Apparently it was rank, surname, first initial and I believe the station they work at.  Pretty sure that most terrorist organisations had the bulk of that information well before this.

It includes each officer’s service number, their status, their gender, their contract type, their last name and initials, details of how much of the week they work, and their rank.

It also includes the location where they are based (but not their home address), their duty type (from chief constable to detective, intelligence officer and so on), details of their unit (such as the anti-corruption unit or the vetting department), their branch and department, and other technical information about their employment.

It reveals members of the organised crime unit, telecom liaison officers, intelligence officers stationed at ports and airports, PSNI pilots in its air support unit, officers in the surveillance unit and – of acute sensitivity – almost 40 PSNI staff based at MI5’s headquarters in Holywood.

There are a tiny number of individuals whose unit is given as “secret”. But although that does not disclose precisely what they do, it marks them out as operating in an acutely sensitive area – and then gives their name.

There are details of the specialist firearms team, of riot police – the TSG unit – and the close protection unit which guards senior politicians and judges

was talking to someone last week who used to work in Holywood

I said "how's it going?" he replied "bloody glad I'm not working for the government any more"

bet x 2 now

The PSNI has said the breach was "the last name, initials, rank or grade, as well as work location and department details"

Clubman, where did you get your information that it was "It includes each officer’s service number, their status, their gender, their contract type, their last name and initials, details of how much of the week they work, and their rank."?

in all seriousness this is another reason to body the annual staff surveys that ask for all your personals

who needs Gerry Adams perusing one's non-binary status

 

All of the diversity data I've included is b0llocks anyway, so Gerry is welcome to it.

I identify as a female mixed-race, disabled pansexual with a non-binary gender identity and use Xer / Zhe pronouns.  Acceptance without exception.

What I mean is that when you said the spreadsheet had gender on it, what it was actually asking for was sex (with a binary choice of options), rather than a range of gender identities (I think that's what you're referring to as "progressive", but ironically gender ideology is thoroughly regressive, being based on outmoded stereotypes). 

to be fair when the forms were created I am pretty sure sex and gender were used synonymously for this purpose (with a preference for gender cos it seemed less uncouth)

Friday afternoon, the day before the FOI deadline:

"Bugger. Dave, sort that out will you before you leave?"

Dave, a low level civvie worker, keen to bail out as he is on a promise, and without the relevamt training, pulls up the data and pastes it up.

Dave is now hated by everyone and going to be sacked. As well as responsible for millions in damages and costs.

Hopefully not responsible for any deaths.

Anyone else know of any single worse email?