Judge Orders Google To Deactivate User's Gmail Account
Found on MediaPost on Saturday, 26 September 2009
In a highly unusual move, a federal judge has ordered Google to deactivate the email account of a user who was mistakenly sent confidential financial information by a bank.
The ruling stems from a monumental error by the Wilson, Wyo.-based Rocky Mountain Bank. On Aug. 12, the bank mistakenly sent names, addresses, social security numbers and loan information of more than 1,300 customers to a Gmail address.
"It's outrageous that the bank asked for this, and it's outrageous that the court granted it," says John Morris, general counsel at the Center for Democracy & Technology
I wonder if anybody will file a lawsuit against the bank because they sent highly sensitive data without encryption over an unsecure connection. The bank should get in really hot water because it screwed up big time; but nobody seems to care. That combination of ignorance and stupidity is what puts people at risk.