Houses of Parliament
MPs have shown little interest in a laptop security initiative

MPs snub laptop security initiative

95 per cent of MPs fail to respond to free laptop lock offer

Written by Janie Davies

A shocking 95 per cent of MPs did not respond when a security firm offered them free laptop locks in July this year.

Mobile accessories supplier Kensington offered 150 MPs a laptop lock, but received responses from only eight, all of whom accepted.

The respondents were three Labour MPs, three Liberal Democrats and two Conservatives.

Kensington made the offer after it was revealed in March that 1,052 government laptops have been lost over the past decade.

MPs are not demonstrating a will to improve security, according to Stephen Hoare, product marketing manager at Kensington Europe.

"Loss of public data is not a new issue but it seems that government ministers are ambivalent to the threat," he said.

"Government officials are continuing to ignore basic security guidelines when they should be doing their utmost to ensure the safety of sensitive information.

"It is a waste of taxpayers' money, and further thought needs to be given to simple solutions that can make a big difference."

reader comments

related articles

A hard diskPublic Sector

The top 10 public sector data losses - so far

Feeling left out? Don't worry, you're bound to be affected soon 09 Sep 2008

 

Newcastle City Council ramps up home working

Flexible options better for staff and customers, says council 08 Sep 2008

Banks lose credit card data

Computer sold for £35 on eBay contained unencrypted RBS and NatWest customer details 26 Aug 2008

NHS clinicians risking patient data

Doctors carrying unprotected USB sticks with confidential patient information 04 Sep 2008

5,000 prison worker records lost

Government not informed for a year amid fears records could be used to track workers 08 Sep 2008

Home Office suspends PA Consulting contract

Loss of memory stick highlights appalling security processes 22 Aug 2008

MPs offered free laptop locks

Physical security just as important, says Kensington 22 Jul 2008

Tory leader Cameron puts IT at heart of political reform

E-petitions and use of social media backed in drive to open up Parliament to the people 28 May 2009

MPs reluctant to use Facebook and social networking

The more interactive the medium, the less politicans like it, says survey 24 Feb 2009

related whitepapers

today's top stories

How to maximise the value of your IT networking investment

A panel of experts discuss networking strategies that deliver real value to business 03 Jul 2009

Habitat gets a web site makeover

The furniture retailer is revamping its online presence to provide a fully transactional web site. CIO Jacques Dekock explains why 02 Jul 2009

Government aims to bolster UK's cyber defences

Is the UK’s first national cyber security strategy up to the task of co-ordinating the country’s response to digital threats? Computing investigates 02 Jul 2009

Focus resources on what really matters

IT has become too caught up in the drive for efficiency, at the expense of business success 02 Jul 2009

From tracks man to tax man

Phil Pavitt, outgoing chief information officer for Transport for London, talks to Rosalie Marshall about the lessons he will take to his new role at HMRC 02 Jul 2009

Advertisement

Newsletter signup

Sign up for our range of FREE newsletters:

More available - click 'submit' to view

Existing User

Newsletter user login:

Advertisement

Jobs

Related jobs

Job of the week

Job alerts

Sign up here

Find your next job

IT Salary Checker

Check salary here

Advertisement

White papers

Search white papers

Top categories

VPN, Extranet and Intranet Solutions

WAN/ LAN Solutions

Network Security

Interoperability-Connectivity

Grid/ Utility Computing

Latest poll

Would you use social networking sites to look for a job?

Would you use social networking sites to look for a job?

Tell us what you think about job hunting through LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter etc

View poll results

Latest audio and video articles

network cablesVideo

How to maximise the value of your IT networking investment

A panel of experts discuss networking strategies that deliver real value to business 03 Jul 2009

green footprintsVideo

How to manage enterprise energy use - and the role IT can play

A panel of experts explore how firms can get to grips with their carbon footprint and make smarter use of energy 01 Jul 2009

Latest in-depth articles

Phil PavittAnalysis

From tracks man to tax man

Phil Pavitt, outgoing chief information officer for Transport for London, talks to Rosalie Marshall about the lessons he will take to his new role at HMRC 02 Jul 2009

UPS worker making a deliveryAnalysis

Global standardisation delivers benefits at UPS

Delivery giant sees benefits of central IT solution 02 Jul 2009

Advertisement

Primary Navigation