A FORMER library worker was able to access e+ card users’ personal information six months after he left his role as a Bracknell Forest Council (BFC) employee.
Simon Hart, who left his post in 2017, told the News he found he had access after trying to reset his account password.
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He said: “I could still see people's full personal details from addresses to sexuality — sensitive information. This was 6 months after I left.
“I was very alarmed at the time and immediately logged out.
“The implications of [having] access to the database were huge and very worrying.”
Kevin Gibbs, a director at BFC, said: “This is an historic case which was resolved fully at the time.
“Unfortunately, in this case, an ex-member of staff’s access to one of the databases was not removed in a timely manner.
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“This was down to human error. As soon as the library team became aware of this, access to this system was immediately revoked.
“Access to the council’s network was removed as soon as the person left their role.
“Since then, further procedures and robust checks have been introduced to minimise the risk of this happening again.
“No personal data was compromised due to this error.”
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Mr Hart claimed BFC did not have a procedure for removing access to databases when employees left the library team, but Mr Gibbs said this was not the case.
He continued: “Contrary to the claims made, the library service has always had procedures in place for removing staff leavers from its systems.
“These include removing access rights to the e+ smart connect database, the library management system and the council’s network.”
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