The incident took place in the western city of Amagasaki, Japan.
After admitting that a contractor lost a USB stick containing the personal data of 4.60,000 residents after a night out, a Japanese city has more than just a headache. CBS News reported.
In the western city of Amagasaki, Japan, a private contractor whose identity has not been released was carrying memory sticks in a bag when he went for a drink after work Thursday.
But Tuesday night, while working on a local pandemic initiative, he realized he had lost his bag.
According to CBS Newsan Amagasaki official told reporters: “We deeply regret that we have seriously damaged the public’s trust in the administration of the city.”
To make it easier to send the data to a contact center in the neighboring city of Osaka, they were copied to the USB. It had all the names, genders, addresses, birthdays and other personal information of the city’s residents, along with the tax and bank account details of some individuals, the city government said.
However, there may be some good news as the city claims that the data was encrypted and the USB was password locked. According to local media reports, there is no indication that the data has been accessed. The police are aware of the disappearance and are investigating.
“We will ensure security management thoroughly when processing electronic data,” Kyodo News reported, citing the city government. “We will work to regain the trust of our residents by raising awareness of the importance of protecting personal information.”
According to a travel website Osaka InformationAmagasaki in Japan is considered the area’s “hotspot” for nightlife.
With so many izakayas (Japanese gastropubs), socializing with friends and colleagues over food and drink is the norm, the website says.
