Low Tech Privacy Lapses -- Part ???

In the latest example of low-tech privacy lapses, the Bank of America announced on February 25 (NY Times; registration required) that it had lost a backup tape containing the personal information of 1.2 million federal employees, including some senators.  The information came from files on credit cards issued by BoA.  Coming on the heels of the Choicepoint and Paris Hilton data breach incidents, each involving not super-high-tech malicious hacking but garden-variety fraud or social engineering, respectively, the BoA loss reminds us all that our organizations are vulnerable to both online and offline problems.  It also highlights the reality that backup tapes can contain much more information than we generally think about, an issue when it comes to discovery requests in litigation, and that with record retention obligations being strengthened in many industries, careful backup media management is not just a good idea, It's The Law.  {Michelle and Jonathan}