Public servant personal information at risk as device stolen

More than 200 public servants have been warned after an unencrypted device holding their personal information was stolen in Ottawa.

The device was stolen on Aug. 21 in Ottawa and contained personal information of 227 employees who worked at Infrastructure Canada, according to Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC).

In an email, a PSPC spokesperson said they have reached out to the workers.

"The incident has been reported to the police, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner, and Treasury Board Secretariat. PSPC is also conducting an investigation," said Rania Haddad.

Improperly stored 

Haddad confirmed that personal information is not supposed to be stored on unencrypted devices.

"An internal investigation is underway to examine why and how this happened and identify measures to ensure this does not happen again," she said.

She said they don't have any reports of employee information being used inappropriately, but are telling staff to monitor their information.

A spokesperson for Canada's privacy commissioner confirmed they received a report, but they have not yet decided on whether to open a formal investigation.