Parole Board Privacy Breach: USB Drive with Victim’s Personal Data, 37 Criminals Lost on Air NZ Flight

The Board of Parole has committed a privacy violation after a USB drive containing personal information related to 37 criminals and a victim was lost on a plane.

A member of the Parole Board lost the portable disk on a flight on November 13.

The flash drive contained personal briefing notes from a board member for the parole board hearings held at the Otago correctional facility in November, 1 News reported.

Air New Zealand searched the plane to no avail.

There is no evidence to suggest that a third party obtained the device or accessed the information on it, the outlet said.

The Board of Parole has contacted the 38 individuals whose privacy was violated and apologized to them.

The Board of Parole told 1 News that they have already received a number of complaints from those identified in the briefing notes.

New Zealand Parole Board Chairman Sir Ron Young said the organization is taking the incident “extremely seriously”.

“The Board member has done his best to locate the unit.

“The privacy violation did not influence the outcome of the parole hearings, as all decisions regarding the affected offenders had been made and documented prior to the loss of the disc.”

“As a result of this incident, I have reminded Board members of the requirement to ensure that all confidential information is handled in a manner that maintains privacy and security. At that time I also alerted the Privacy Commissioner to this matter. “, said.

“I am committed to ensuring the security and confidentiality of all the information our members have.”