p2p news / p2pnet: Sensitive, possibly dangerous, information was stored on what were supposed to have been blank computer tapes auctioned off by Canada’s British Columbia government.

When the anonymous buyer checked them out, he found, “personal information on thousands of refugees,” says the Vancouver Sun.

The man gave the tapes, for which he’d paid $101, to the newspaper which says they held names, social insurance numbers and internal government file numbers for more than 30,000 refugees.

“The list, which was last updated in February 1999, also gives information on how the refugees were approved to get into the country,” it states.

Canadian immigration minister Monte Solberg is to launch investigation, says the Vancouer Sun.

“It’s our responsibility, our obligation, to protect the privacy of people who make refugee claims in the country,” the story has him saying, adding:

“Solberg said the information related to refugee claims is particularly sensitive given that many people enter Canada in an attempt to flee persecution in their home country. Information on their whereabouts, or who sponsored them into the country, could put the refugee claimant, and their families back home, in very real danger, he said.”

Also See:
Vancouver Sun - Refugee claim files found on data tapes, March 6, 2006

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