← UK Revenue & Customs

2007 HMRC — 25M child benefit records lost

2007 25.0M records affected Share on X

Data compromised

Names, addresses, DOB, NI numbers, bank details

Technical writeup

Two discs with 25M records (7.25M families) sent unregistered via TNT to NAO; never arrived. Names, addresses, DOB, NI numbers, bank details. Weak WinZip password. Led to Data Protection Act 2009.

Root cause

Improper handling; unencrypted discs; human error

References