Data inspector to check blood bank security

AN INSPECTOR from the office of the Data Protection Commissioner will visit the offices of the Irish Blood Transfusion Service (IBTS) today to examine security systems.

The inspection is on foot of yesterday’s revelations that the files of 171,000 Irish blood donors were stolen in New York during an IBTS software upgrade project.

Bill Hawkes, data protection commissioner, said while the theft “was something we should be concerned about” he was nonetheless satisfied the files were strongly encrypted “so the danger to Irish people... is minimal”.