Date: 17 September 2020
Response to media enquiry on a data breach incident of an organisation
Thank you very much for your enquiry on a data breach incident of a social welfare agency. Our response is as follows:
Enquiry
“Yau Tsim Mong District Councillor Owan Li said on Wednesday that he received several requests for assistance, saying that Caritas Family Crisis Support Centre had called them and said they lost personal data of those who used their emotional support service.
Please may we ask:
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Is PCPD aware of this data breach case?
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Could PCPD provide details of the case, including when and how the breach occurred and what specific types of personal data were lost?
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How many individuals are affected? Are all of them informed about the breach?
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According to Li, the Caritas centre told one of the individuals affected that the personal data lost was stored on a USB. Should an organisation be using this type of data storage?
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How does PCPD respond to the case? Is the PCPD taking any follow-up actions?”
Answer 1-5:
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The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD) received a data breach notification from the organisation concerned. The PCPD is concerned about the incident and has initiated a compliance check in accordance with established procedures. Details of the case cannot be disclosed at this stage.