A Japanese city has apologised after a contractor admitted losing a USB memory stick containing the personal data of about 460,000 residents.
Officials in Amagasaki, in western Japan, said an employee of a company commissioned to assist the city’s rollout of COVID-19 relief funds lost a bag that had the flash drive inside after drinking and dining at a restaurant on Tuesday, according to The Japan Times.
The person reported the matter to police on Wednesday, the newspaper said.
The lost data included residents’ names, addresses and dates of birth, as well as the bank account numbers of welfare-receiving households, among other information.
“We deeply regret that we have profoundly harmed the public’s trust in the administration of the city,” an Amagasaki official told a news conference.
There is no evidence of data being leaked so far, according to city authorities, who said it was encrypted and protected with a password.
“We will thoroughly ensure security management when handling electronic data,” city officials said in a statement.
“We will work to regain our residents’ trust by heightening awareness of the importance of protecting personal information.”
