The List: Canada pupil Loan Privacy Breach

Student Loans Canada - The List: Canada pupil Loan Privacy Breach

Imagine being on a list that 583,000 Canadians are on. You might say... "Wow, what did I, Joe Smith, from small town Canada do to be on this list?"

Student Loans Canada

As it turns out, Joe Smith naturally took out a student loan between 2000 and 2006. His inexpressive information is now missing. The following is a timeline of events...

• November 5, 2012: revenue Canada employee discovers an external hard drive is missing.

• November 28: Departmental security officer is notified.

• December 6: Officials learn personal information of 583 thousand Canada Student Loans clients from 2000 to 2006 is on the missing hard drive.

• December 14: The Office of the Privacy Commissioner is notified of the missing hard drive.

• Jan. 7, 2013: The incident is referred to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Like a poorly written story, there are quite a few plot holes that need to be filled. Do you have a right to know how and why? Of policy you do.

On November 5th, 2012 an employee of "Human Resources and Skills improvement Canada" or the Hrsdc discovered that an external hard drive was missing.

The staff of the Hrsdc naturally decided to wait nearly an entire month before notifying the departmental security officer on November 28th.

It was roughly 9 days later before it was considered what information was contained on the hard drive.

The Hrsdc held onto this information for an additional one 9 days before notifying the office of the privacy commissioner on December 14th.

2 months after the hard drive initially was reported missing; the decision was finally made to article the theft to the Rcmp on January 7th.

I'm sure we all have questions to ask about this situation. My question... Why did it take a full month to settle what was on the missing hard drive? And why was it a full month and a half after the security officer was notified that the Rcmp was brought into this sticky situation.

My best, uneducated in the art of losing hard drives with sensitive information on them, guess is that it was easier to stall a little... Oh say 2 months before reporting this situation to the Rcmp... Maybe it'll just turn up like a missing set of keys between couch cushions thus avoiding a media thunderstorm. No harm, no foul?

Feeling helpless? I know I am. Is there anyone that could have done to forestall this violation of privacy? maybe traveling back in time to convince your-self that not getting a student loan would be a viable option. Alas, like many Canadians I had no choice. I needed an instruction and needed help to get from where I was to where I wanted to be.

I hope you obtain new knowledge about Student Loans Canada. Where you can put to used in your daily life. And most importantly, your reaction is passed about Student Loans Canada.