Health and immigration records sold at B.C. auction

Several investigations have begun after computer tapes containing health and immigration records for thousands of people in British Columbia were sold at a public auction for $101.

The Vancouver Sun reported over the weekend that the high-capacity data tapes were sold under the direction of the B.C. Ministry of Labour in July 2005.

The buyer turned the tapes over to the newspaper after realizing what was on them.

The data is mostly from the late 1990s, and includes information on sexual abuse, HIV status and mental illness.

B.C. Information and Privacy Commissioner David Loukidelis says he wants to know why the tapes were not erased before being sold to the public as surplus computer goods in the Surrey sale.

After a similar incident four years ago, Loukidelis says the government brought in rules that should have ensured that all information was removed from surplus computer equipment before it was sold.

"Obviously we have to look to ensure that whatever rules are put in place are respected and consistently and appropriately implemented," he said.

"The matter has to be taken very seriously. I will be pursuing it vigorously and asking the government some very hard questions here."

Labour Minister Mike de Jong has ordered an internal investigation of the privacy breach, saying he also wants to find out what went wrong.

"It's about as serious a breach of people's privacy rights as I can think of," he said. "It's unacceptable. It's inappropriate."

The tapes also reportedly contain information on 30,000 refugees, which has prompted separate action by the federal immigration ministry.

"Obviously there was some breach of policy somewhere that allowed this information to get out, and we'll have to have a hard look to find out exactly how this happened, where it happened and what can be done to remedy this," federal Immigration Minister Monte Solberg told the Vancouver Sun.