Thousands of gun owners' personal details released (VIC)

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Thousands of gun owners' personal details released (VIC)

Post by juststarting » 18 Jan 2017, 8:10 pm

Victorian Government apologises after thousands of gun owners' personal details released in email error

The Victorian Government has apologised to almost 9,000 gun owners after a "deeply concerning" data breach resulted in thousands of gun owners' personal details mistakenly being emailed out.

Customer service staff at the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning last month intended to email gun licence renewal forms, but uploaded the wrong attachment and accidentally sent the names, addresses and gun licence details of 8,709 people.

The error occurred on eight separate occasions, with the attached files including between 800 to 1,900 names.

"It really was a simple case of human error," the department's communications executive director Catherine Payne said.

"The [staff] concerned are horrified … and have been counselled."

A spokesperson for the Agriculture Minister Jaala Pulford apologised and issued a statement saying the breach is deeply concerning and unacceptable.

"It's something the Government is taking very seriously," the spokesperson said.

The Shooters and Fishers Party said the mistake proves why gun registries should be dumped.

"A nice handy list of all the people who are keeping firearms in their homes would be great in the hands of a criminal," Shooters and Fishers MP Daniel Young said.

The party supports licensing for gun users, but says governments should not keep a list of all gun owners with registered firearms.

"This information can be leaked very easily, and it's quite serious," Mr Young said.

Department 'can't be sure' information not misused

The department has contacted the eight people the emails were sent to and said each has either deleted it, or never received it at all due to a large file size.

"We can't be sure [it hasn't been misused]," Ms Payne said.

"That's the reason we've taken the approach of communicating directly with customers."

Dr Vanessa Teague, from the University of Melbourne, said the incident demonstrates how easy it is for these types of breaches to happen.

"There was no hacking, there was no subtle cryptographic error. This was just somebody emailing something they shouldn't have," she said.

"Once you've emailed it out of that secure place where it was supposed to be, you completely lose control of where that data has gone."

On advice from the state's Privacy Commissioner, the department is posting letters to each of the 8,709 people involved. The department has also contacted Victoria Police.

The department said its treatment of private data was unacceptable, and has suspended using emails to handle gun licence renewal information.

"From time to time, things happen that you wish didn't," Ms Payne said.

"The big takeaway is to never lose sight of the importance of training for customer service staff about the handling of customer data and privacy requirements."


http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-01-18/gun-owners-personal-details-released-in-email-error-in-breach/8191594
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Re: Thousands of gun owners' personal details released (VIC)

Post by deye243 » 18 Jan 2017, 8:15 pm

theses pricks should be counselled in a prison cell
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Post by scotty87 » 18 Jan 2017, 8:26 pm

You'd think they would name the file something obvious, seems like a total cock up putting firearms owners AND the public at risk, from the threat of violence from stolen firearms. A good argument for the destruction of the longarms registry IMO.
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Re: Thousands of gun owners' personal details released (VIC)

Post by juststarting » 18 Jan 2017, 8:30 pm

No, I would think that there are no files and data is transmitted encrypted from one application to another... Without human intervention. Emails are sent (usually, for now) in plain text - meaning, it is not encrypted in transit and anyone between the sender and the recipient with access (e.g. admin) can read the message. Same goes for most emails. This is beyond incompetence.
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Re: Thousands of gun owners' personal details released (VIC)

Post by juststarting » 18 Jan 2017, 8:31 pm

p.s.
I would also think that no one person has direct access to the data - also pathetic. This is pathetic on many many many level.
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Re: Thousands of gun owners' personal details released (VIC)

Post by AusTac » 18 Jan 2017, 8:48 pm

What the fu$king fu"k? " those concerned have been counseled " i couldn't give a flying fu&k how they feel, now my details are probably being sold on the internet and some motherfu"*er has a shopping list that i'm potentially on!

Then it'll be my fault when someone rocks up with a jack hammer and crane whilst i'm at work to cut my house up around the safe. For fu/ks sake Victoria!
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Re: Thousands of gun owners' personal details released (VIC)

Post by knowsnothin » 18 Jan 2017, 8:52 pm

"The big takeaway is to never lose sight of the importance of training for customer service staff " Ms Payne said.

yes, that is their big takeaway.

Maybe the 'big takeaway' should be $5000 cheque to owners to upgrade their home security and safes.

I would be beyond furious if i were affected. i feel for those that are.
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Re: Thousands of gun owners' personal details released (VIC)

Post by albat » 18 Jan 2017, 9:12 pm

Look out now all the bandits will be getting around with 7 shot adlers thanks to the government
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Re: Thousands of gun owners' personal details released (VIC)

Post by Title_II » 19 Jan 2017, 3:54 am

deye243 wrote:theses pricks should be counselled in a prison cell


He he. Ha ha ha. HAHAHAHAHAHAA!

It's the government. Not screw them, screw YOU for them dropping the ball. And you'll like it or they'll yank your license.


Any information you give to anybody WILL be released to the public, hacked, or abused eventually. They may do it with impunity, or they may simply cancel their "agreement" with you about what they might use it for retroactively.

Get used to it.

You don't want it out there, you don't want it used against you, don't give it. Don't even talk to your doctor. Stuff you said 30 years ago before they used computers will come back to haunt you.

"Freedom is never having to lie."

We are not free in this globalist, progressive, totalitarian corporate-socialist world. Learn to lie, and do it early and often. Might I suggest getting tips from former Soviet subjects that may be in your neighborhood, they know the ins and outs.

Or fight for Liberty with full knowledge that you will be sacrificing yourself.
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Re: Thousands of gun owners' personal details released (VIC)

Post by happyhunter » 19 Jan 2017, 5:56 am

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Re: Thousands of gun owners' personal details released (VIC)

Post by Oldbloke » 19 Jan 2017, 7:12 am

A classic YES Minister! Unbelievable.
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Re: Thousands of gun owners' personal details released (VIC)

Post by Khan » 19 Jan 2017, 7:15 am

Customer service staff at the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning last month intended to email gun licence renewal forms, but uploaded the wrong attachment and accidentally sent the names, addresses and gun licence details of 8,709 people.

The error occurred on eight separate occasions, with the attached files including between 800 to 1,900 names.


Shows you how much half-assed their registry must be.

Highly sophisticated, secure database of firearms users? Nope, we just have a few excel sheets with everyone's details sitting on our desktop.

Useless, and negligent.
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Re: Thousands of gun owners' personal details released (VIC)

Post by Gamerancher » 19 Jan 2017, 7:16 am

Not really that much different from the Greens publishing the whereabouts of firearms by postcode. Access to the information was granted to them under the F.O.I laws.
"The error occurred on eight separate occaisions" means it was a deliberate act and due to the size of the file took that many to send a complete list. Do the math, "between 800-1900 names".
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Re: Thousands of gun owners' personal details released (VIC)

Post by doc » 19 Jan 2017, 7:33 am

happyhunter wrote:Time for the registry to be abolished.


^^^^ This.

Now is the time to be writing to your local MP, and other MP's expressing that we have now seen the realization of a concern many of us have had for decades. Canada abolished their registry for this reason as they saw the potential problems.

This is a wake up call. There is too much danger involved with the way the registry is handled:

- Every licensed firearm recorded along with names and addresses in a centralised location.

- Every firearm transaction done at the local firearm shop with the names and address of where the firearm is transferred to - in a single book easily stolen!

Please - write to your MP a firm but respectful letter based on logic and fact (not emotion and abuse), and encourage all other club members or LFO's to do the same. We need this to be taken care of properly. And this shouldn't be isolated to Vic - all states should learn from this!

Edit: Has anyone additional information they can summarise with logical reasons why the firearm registry should be abolished. (ie has it also been done in other countries other than Canada, etc) - to further add to letters that are being written out?
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Re: Thousands of gun owners' personal details released (VIC)

Post by happyhunter » 19 Jan 2017, 9:04 am

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Re: Thousands of gun owners' personal details released (VIC)

Post by cuvy » 19 Jan 2017, 9:41 am

If anyone receives a copy of the notification, can they please send me a copy (with their details blacked out, of course). Having dealt with data breaches before i'm very interested to see the contents of the notifications to affected people.
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Re: Thousands of gun owners' personal details released (VIC)

Post by Title_II » 19 Jan 2017, 9:46 am

We don't have a registry so to speak, but in Pennsylvania the crooks would want a list of who does not own guns if somebody could come up with such a list. Since most people have them, and 1 in 8 carry them. FBI studies indicate that something like 97% (I forget) of felons interviewed in our country would prefer to avoid robbing homes where there is gun ownership. Which is kind of weird since guns are valuable to criminals here as well, although probably less so than in Oz.
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Post by Gamerancher » 19 Jan 2017, 9:56 am

The difference being that over there if they know the home-owner has a gun they are likely to encounter resistance.
Over here we are not allowed to use the gun to defend our property, besides which, by the time you have unlocked the safe to retrieve a gun then unlocked the ammo storage and then loaded it ............you get the picture.
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Re: Thousands of gun owners' personal details released (VIC)

Post by happyhunter » 19 Jan 2017, 10:06 am

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Re: Thousands of gun owners' personal details released (VIC)

Post by <<Genesis93>> » 19 Jan 2017, 10:28 am

this is f***ing infuriating.
called LRD;
"first call we've received, its not us, its the DELP (insert swooshing handball sound)

Calls DELP/GMA
"Our manager will call you back, when's a convenient time for a call back?"
ME "ASAFP...."

f***ing bulls**t.
The police have the nerve to say they take privacy super important.... then I remind him the countless hardcopy lists maintained around the state...
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Re: Thousands of gun owners' personal details released (VIC)

Post by <<Genesis93>> » 19 Jan 2017, 10:29 am

So this is game licence holder info.... 7800 licensees... I think thats about a quarter?? of all in the state!!
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Re: Thousands of gun owners' personal details released (VIC)

Post by Blackened » 19 Jan 2017, 10:34 am

Gun ownership doesn't work the same in practice here, Title_II.

License holders are required to have their guns locked away and ammunition stored separately when not in use (and 'storage' here means a locked safe, not just reaching into a cupboard etc.)

We're not allowed to store loaded firearms, and we're not allowed to have them on hand for the purposes of self defence.

I've no doubt your point is true, many thieves would avoid targets where they think a resident is armed to defend themselves.

That scenario is virtually non-existent here in Australia though.

Our registries record the personal details of each owner, and a list of every firearm they possess.

When these lists are compromised (as they have been multiple times before) they're effectively providing a shopping list for criminals.

Addresses of secluded properties, locations with multiple firearms, etc. etc. They can browse targets at their leisure.
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Re: Thousands of gun owners' personal details released (VIC)

Post by Title_II » 19 Jan 2017, 1:31 pm

I understand. It is very different. I don't want to cross any cultural barriers with my good mates but I have to be honest and say it seems completely humiliating to me. It sounds like a totalitarian government that has no interest in the rights or safety of the individual.

I hope we don't all end up standing in toilet paper lines in 20 years :(
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Post by bladeracer » 19 Jan 2017, 3:11 pm

Got my letter today...it took six days to travel less than 200kms from Melbourne.
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Post by WhelanLad » 19 Jan 2017, 3:27 pm

cuvy wrote:If anyone receives a copy of the notification, can they please send me a copy (with their details blacked out, of course). Having dealt with data breaches before i'm very interested to see the contents of the notifications to affected people.



I got a letter in the mail today about this..
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Post by Blackened » 19 Jan 2017, 3:38 pm

Dear valued customer


:roll:
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Post by Gamerancher » 19 Jan 2017, 3:40 pm

Of coarse escalating it to "senior management" will fix the problem. I'd better get the shottie out for the masses of flying pigs.
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Post by <<Genesis93>> » 19 Jan 2017, 4:03 pm

Bladeracer... I was 'lucky' in that they came back to me with a "you're name is not involved..."
But you.... DON'T let this go, this is BS, the fact that there are files (spreadsheets?) 'doing the rounds' with lists of gun owners names/address/etc, shows the absolute contempt for the security of shooters... if thats how they treat our MOST strictly confidential information...thats not good enough. By far.

This 'data' is not lists of drivers licenses, most everyone has a car, its firearms, that ARE most definitely a target for the criminal element.

This yet again reinforces the FACT that there should be no compilation of firearm owners, other than perhaps a single list of firearm owners, or preferably a list of prohibited individuals who are NOT permitted to own/use firearms...

Come on SSAA, SFFP and other groups claiming to 'represent' LAFOs....Get the F%$# onto this
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Post by slickncghia » 19 Jan 2017, 4:11 pm

I have similar concerns about gun shops lists that they take when they register guns or sell powder. They usually open up the suer high security notebook and hand write down details on the front counter in full view of customers with the last couple of pages of owners clearly visible.

Worse if someone pinches the book...
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Re: Thousands of gun owners' personal details released (VIC)

Post by happyhunter » 19 Jan 2017, 4:20 pm

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