DVLA sacks 14 staff over email misuse

Driving licence issuer the DVLA has sacked 14 staff and disciplined 101 others for distributing pornographic material via the agency’s corporate email and web systems.

According to a spokeswoman at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), the firings are the result of an ongoing investigation into email and web abuse. The investigation began in March after the agency discovered inappropriate material on its systems.

The spokeswoman added that staff were made aware of the monitoring, and that all employees were required to sign an internet usage policy as standard prior to the investigation. The agency has also tightened up its existing email monitoring and web filtering systems in response to the discovery.

As a result of their actions, the 101 disciplined workers will not be allowed to apply for temporary or higher grade promotions for two years, the spokeswoman said.

Experts said the sackings should serve as a warning to other firms of the importance of proper email policies and technology to block inappropriate content from entering corporate IT systems.