Europe’s leading telecommunications company, Deutsche Telekom, has admitted that it has lost confidential data belonging to 17 million T-mobile clients. The theft, in 2006, which is now subject to a judicial inquiry, involved telephone numbers, dates of birth, addresses and email addresses, subsidiary T-Mobile said in a statement.
Spokesman Frank Domagala said that bank details were not attached, and that “according to our information, even though these details have been put up for sale on the black market, there has not been a buyer.”
Domagala added that data security procedures have been reinforced since 2006.
Whoop-de-doo!
According to news weekly Der Spiegel, copies of the information continue to circulate.
If this isn’t something that had to be reported to T-mobile clients – why not?
Eideard 
This is what fires me up about all of these businesses that insist on having all of this personal information, but no accountability when they lose it, or government standards how it is stored or disposed of. Hotels want to swipe my credit card when the bill is already paid for by an established business. they’ve dealt with the business for years and they still insist on my personal information each time I spend a night in one of their establishments.
If the phone and pay TV and room service are such a big worry, then put my room on a do not service list or something. The US needs some minimal standards for storage, protection, and disposal of personal information.
I think it’s probably difficult to stuff a cat back into a bag, especially if it’s a one pound bag and the cat is an angry, adult tiger.
Still, I wish they’d at least consider the problem and ponder potential solutions.
Unfortunately, now that all the rich people in the U.S. are on Welfare, I suppose even thinking about protecting our privacy would be too financially onerous.
The whole bloody process should be regulated on an “opt-in” basis. Make the mavens come and ask me if I want to play.