Watchdogs find lax management of smartphones and tablets by BC government
Lost or stolen devices were reported by employees several months after going missing according to report
By Bob Mackin
British Columbia, Canada government workers sometimes waited months to report a lost or stolen smart phone or tablet, according to a report by the Acting Information and Privacy Commissioner.
Drew McArthur’s report on mobile device management in the BC government examined five ministries — Children and Family Development, Finance, Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, Justice and Health — and the Office of the Chief Information Officer.
“Investigators found instances of employees reporting a device lost or stolen several months after the device was first noticed missing,” McArthur said in the report. “On average it took employees two to six days to make a report. At one ministry, employees were advised not to report lost devices for up to three days in case the device was found.”
Investigators also found that records of lost and stolen devices were not properly maintained or analysed, so management missed an opportunity to provide additional training.
McArthur said investigators found policies were often overlapping, inconsistent and confusing. The ministries also did not keep track of personal information stored on mobile devices or categorise sensitivity of such personal information.
“Government is not meeting its statutory obligation to protect personal information stored on mobile devices,” said the report.