A gentleman in Japan didn't mean to lose a work-related USB flash drive stuffed with personal info on every single resident in the town of Amagasaki (pop. 465,177). He simply decided to get drunk while toting said USB flash drive. He then decided to fall asleep on a sidewalk. And much to his surprise, when he woke up, his (and the entire city's) personal belongings were gone.
From CNN:
The man works for a company tasked with providing benefits to tax-exempt households, the city government's statement said.
On Tuesday, he went to the city administration's information center and transferred residents' data onto a flash drive. The data included the names, birth dates, and addresses of 465,177 people, the statement said — the city's entire population.
The flash drive also contained sensitive information including tax details, bank account names and numbers, and information on households receiving public assistance such as childcare payments. …
It added that though the employee had been authorized to access the data, he had not been given permission to transfer it onto a separate electronic device. The statement also criticized the employee for failing to erase the data from the flash drive after completing his work at the city office, and for carrying it personally instead of using a more secure transportation method.
Authorities held a news conference on Thursday, with the city's mayor and other officials bowing in apology to residents.
So far, no data leak has been reported, according to CNN.
