A laptop containing the personal information of all 64,000 Ohio state employees and their dependents has been stolen from an employee’s car. Ironically, the laptop was taken home by the employee “as part of a security procedure.” Governor Ted Strickland is not taking the matter lightly. He has already issued Executive Order 013S, giving Ohio’s Chief Privacy Officer 75 days to develop an impressive-sounding “privacy impact assessment protocol.”

“As we are continuing an ongoing review of the data contained in the stolen device, we have determined that information pertaining to participants in the state’s pharmacy benefits management program, including information such as names, social security numbers, addresses and phone numbers of the employees and the names and social security numbers of their dependents, may be contained in the device,” Strickland said.

Strickland’s office has set up a site for Ohioans concerned about their data. The state will provide affected employees free credit monitoring for one year. — CAREY GREENBERG-BERGER

State Employees’ Personal Data Stolen [WDSU.com]
State Employee Identity Protection

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