The Transportation Security Administration, the division of the Department of Homeland Security charged with keeping bombs and pies away from planes, has misplaced an external hard drive containing social security numbers, bank data, and payroll information for 100,000 employees. We say “misplaced” because the TSA is not sure if the laptop was stolen, or “is still within headquarters.”

The agency, which currently employs 50,000 people, is informing the 100,000 affected employees who worked at the agency between January 2002 and August 2005 that they will receive one year of free credit monitoring. TSA employees are less than happy:

“It’s seems like there’s a problem with security inside Homeland Security and that makes no sense,” said James Slade, a TSA screener and the executive vice president of the National Treasury Employees Union chapter at John F. Kennedy International Airport. “That’s scary. That’s my identity. And now who has a hold of it? So many things go on in your mind.”

— CAREY GREENBERG-BERGER

TSA Loses Hard Drive With Personal Info [AP]
(Photo: Peter Kaminski)

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