TimeWarner “lost” employee data tapes

Today's blog entry on the problem of identity theft concerns TimeWarner, the U.S. media giant. As the company reports in a statement backup tapes with data on TimeWarner employees are missing.

These data include, according to a TimeWarner FAQ

“names and U.S. Social Security numbers of: current and former U.S.-based employees of Time Warner and its current and former affiliates (and U.S. citizens working for the company abroad); some of their dependents and beneficiaries; and certain other individuals who have provided services to the company.”

So the news this time -- if one were to adopt a slightly sarcastic attitude -- is that it's not company customers but company employees that are hit. The frequency with which this blog has reported about such incidents in the last months points to this becoming an ever more pressing issue -- even if no malicious intent may have been present this time, but sheer negligence. But that is not certain either: after all the U.S. Secret Service was asked to investigate the matter, no less.

According to German news magazine SPIEGEL no fewer than 600.000 employees of the media giant are affected by this incident. The contractor who handled the backup tapes, Boston MA based Iron Mountain so far has nothing on this incident on its website.