As devices become more portable and storage becomes smaller, the potential for danger when devices go missing is rising exponentially. Here are five embarrassing cases where mobile devices went missing, and sensitive information was compromised.

1. Five embarrassing mobile device
thefts
As devices become more portable and storage becomes smaller, the potential for
danger when devices go missing is rising exponentially. Here are five embarrassing
cases where mobile devices went missing, and sensitive information was
compromised.
By Jeff JedrasPhoto by chanpipat

2. Lost laptop adds to BP oil spill
grief
As if the BP oil spill off Louisiana wasn’t bad enough, the damage was
compounded when a BP employee lost a laptop containing personal data of
thousands of residents who had filed compensation claims in 2011.
Photo by Ideum

3. Veterans data lost, recovered
An employee of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs took home a laptop and
external drive with sensitive personal information on millions of vets in 2006; they
went missing following a home break-in. Following an FBI investigation, the devices
were recovered.

4. Missing laptop grounds flyers
New sign-ups for the U.S Registered Traveller program were halted when a
contractor lost a laptop in 2008 with personal data on 33,000 applicants at San
Francisco’s airport. The laptop had two layers of password protection, and was in a
locked office.
Photo by Schill

5. Voter information compromised
In a classic opportunistic theft, a laptop with voter registration information on over
14,000 voters was stolen from a city council office in the UK in 2009. No voter
choice information was compromised, but the data needed to apply for credit was.
Photo by Tatoy

6. Attempted blackmail of F1 driver
Not a device theft, but a reminder to wipe all personal data before disposing of old
devices. In 2008, someone found F1 driver Adrian Sutil’s old laptop, with its
personal data, and attempted to blackmail him to prevent its disclosure. He was
arrested by the authorities.
Photo by Morgana F1