Turner wants details on loss of 672 laptops
By Jessica Wehrman, Dayton Daily Staff Writer
WASHINGTON — How can the agency whose job it is to count the U.S. population lose 672 laptop computers and not know?
That's the question of U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Centerville, after the Commerce Department reported it lost 1,138 laptops since 2001 — including 672 from the Census Bureau and 325 from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Turner, chairman of a House subcommittee on federalism and the census, has oversight over the Census Bureau. He said Friday he will schedule hearings in October on its lost laptops.
Announcing the loss late Thursday, Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez said "the vulnerability for data misuse is low."
The census computers require passwords and much information is believed to be encrypted.
"We know of no instances of personal information being improperly used," he said.
Turner, however, said the Census Bureau has not investigated whether information has been compromised. "The Census Bureau needs to operate at a higher level of care," he said.
Turner said 246 of the lost census laptops are believed to contain personal information, from name and address to Social Security data, professional information and household data.
Commerce's announcement came in response to public requests and a July 10 request from leaders of the House Government Reform Committee for federal agencies to inventory their laptops.
The request followed the theft of a Veterans Affairs laptop — since recovered — with information on about 26.5 million veterans and troops.
Turner said most of the census laptops are believed to have been lost when departing employees did not return their equipment. He said the bureau also reported lost handheld electronic devices, and other technology.
He wants a full accounting and detailing of lost devices by Oct. 12.
Contact this reporter at (202) 887-8328 or jwehrman@coxnews.com
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