AP Two computer disks that went missing while being sent from one government department to another contained names, addresses, birth dates, national insurance numbers and — in some cases — banking details for 25 million people, nearly half the country's population.
The disks were password protected but the information on them was not encrypted, officials said. "I profoundly regret and apologize for the inconvenience and worries that have been caused to millions of families that receive child benefits," Brown told the House of Commons. "We have a duty to do everything that we can to protect the public."
