Data breach in Britain creates potential for massive fraud - The Boston Globe

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Prime Minister Gordon Brown of Britain apologized yesterday for the loss of sensitive personal information on 25 million Britons, including some bank account numbers, in what analysts described as potentially the most significant privacy breach of the digital era.

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In sheer numbers, the breach was smaller than several incidents in the United States. But the information contained on the discs that were lost in Britain last month included bank account numbers, along with names, addresses, and national insurance numbers - the British equivalent of US Social Security numbers. It also included data on almost every child under 16 in Britain.

Data breach in Britain creates potential for massive fraud - The Boston Globe