Posted on 08/07/2002 2:45:55 AM PDT by JediGirl
TOKYO (AP) — Personal data was leaked from Japan's new nationwide identification system, officials said Wednesday, just two days after the program was launched amid widespread fear it would be prone to breaches of privacy.
Personal information from as many as 2,584 people was sent to the wrong people, said Kaoru Okuhira, a spokesman for the Osaka regional government. He added that it was likely the first leak since Monday's kickoff of the new ID system.
The city of Moriguchi, a suburb of the western metropolis of Osaka, sent the information to households in letters meant to verify information about residents.
The letters correctly contained personal data for the addressee households. But the notices also accidentally contained identification numbers, gender information and birthdates of other people.
The other people's names were not attached, Okuhira said. The mistakenly mailed information accounted for 741 households.
``I apologize deeply for the trouble we have caused and ask for your understanding as we proceed with the new resident registry network,'' Moriguchi Mayor Hiromi Kita said.
The new ID system aims to streamline Japan's cumbersome, paper-heavy bureaucracy by linking local resident registries across a nationwide computer network. People will also receive 11-digit identification numbers — much like the U.S. social security number — that can be used to draw up basic personal information and cut down on red tape during various administrative procedures.
Widespread protests and opposition have beleaguered the system since its inception. Many Japanese fear it would violate individual privacy and be ripe for abuse.
The leak comes after a series of blunders that have eroded public trust.
Only months ago, it was discovered that the Defense Agency had been secretly compiling private information on people who had requested documents under the country's freedom of information act.
On Tuesday, the Defense Agency said police were investigating a possible data leak from military computers and warned that sensitive information may have been divulged.
Five municipalities refused to submit information to the new ID system, and Yokohama, a city of 3.4 million people, said it would register information only from those who consent.
Mr. Yokomata, we're from the government and we're here to help.No? umm, I mean Mr. Yakusura?
Mrs. Yamamoto?
Ok, ok… Is there a Mr. Hirishiro here?…
Good for them!
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