Blimey, that's an inflammatory way to open a blog posting, makes it sound like someone has put together a virtual directory where crooks, scumbags and kiddy fiddlers can just browse for potential victims.
Well, SURPRISE! it's here, it's staggeringly dangerous and if you've got kids, they're on it!!!
The Government (well there's a surprise..) are pushing forward with plans to roll out the ContactPoint database - a national directory of all 11 million of the country's under 18s which was designed to help keep our kids safe.
The database will include details such name, address, date of birth, gender, and contact details for parents or carers for each child in England. Contact details for the child's school, family doctor and other careers working with the child will also be included within the same cross-reference entry.
So far so good, let's face it, the ability for the authorities to collate this data in one place will help make sure there are no more Baby P's, won't it? Yes, of course it will - but to make it useful it has to be available to anyone who may come into contact with the children.
And estimates reckon that *could* be in the region of 350,000 people - and that's just the authorised ones.
Given the propensity for people in positions of authority to leave laptops etc on various forms of public transport this means YOUR kids could have their details lost at any given point in time.
Now, add to this the possibilities for villains entering the system and stealing the data, and what does the figure then become? There are many, many hackers out there who must be rubbing their hands in glee at the propect of cracking their way into the system - not because they're paedo's but because it's an allegedly secure system - it's a blackhat hackers dream for God's sake.
Scaremongering about hackers aside, how is the day-to-day security to be implemented? If doctors or social workers have access how do they stop people looking over their shoulders at sensitive data? What about disgruntled employees who decide to make trouble for an enemy or hated neighbour? Are you with me yet? You should be ...
If you're a parent, you don't seem to have a say in this, your children will be catalogued and you can't do jack to stop it.
This is a disaster waiting to happen and this time it won't be a few social security details which are at risk when there's a security breach, it'll be the most vulnerable of all people in our society - the kids.
The system goes on trial in the North West from this week, be afraid. Be VERY afraid..
(For more info see this post from tech newsite The Register)
[edit]
the BBC have also reported on the launch here
Well, SURPRISE! it's here, it's staggeringly dangerous and if you've got kids, they're on it!!!
The Government (well there's a surprise..) are pushing forward with plans to roll out the ContactPoint database - a national directory of all 11 million of the country's under 18s which was designed to help keep our kids safe.
The database will include details such name, address, date of birth, gender, and contact details for parents or carers for each child in England. Contact details for the child's school, family doctor and other careers working with the child will also be included within the same cross-reference entry.
So far so good, let's face it, the ability for the authorities to collate this data in one place will help make sure there are no more Baby P's, won't it? Yes, of course it will - but to make it useful it has to be available to anyone who may come into contact with the children.
And estimates reckon that *could* be in the region of 350,000 people - and that's just the authorised ones.
Given the propensity for people in positions of authority to leave laptops etc on various forms of public transport this means YOUR kids could have their details lost at any given point in time.
Now, add to this the possibilities for villains entering the system and stealing the data, and what does the figure then become? There are many, many hackers out there who must be rubbing their hands in glee at the propect of cracking their way into the system - not because they're paedo's but because it's an allegedly secure system - it's a blackhat hackers dream for God's sake.
Scaremongering about hackers aside, how is the day-to-day security to be implemented? If doctors or social workers have access how do they stop people looking over their shoulders at sensitive data? What about disgruntled employees who decide to make trouble for an enemy or hated neighbour? Are you with me yet? You should be ...
If you're a parent, you don't seem to have a say in this, your children will be catalogued and you can't do jack to stop it.
This is a disaster waiting to happen and this time it won't be a few social security details which are at risk when there's a security breach, it'll be the most vulnerable of all people in our society - the kids.
The system goes on trial in the North West from this week, be afraid. Be VERY afraid..
(For more info see this post from tech newsite The Register)
[edit]
the BBC have also reported on the launch here
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