Kaiser members warned of possible data theft
In yet another instance of laptop theft potentially endangering personal data, Kaiser Permanente Colorado is notifying some 38,000 members of a possible breach of their private health information.
The information was located on a laptop stolen from the personal car of a national Kaiser Permanente employee in California, reports the Rocky Mountain News and other media outlets.
Information on the computer included names, member ID numbers, dates of birth, ages, gender and provider/physician information from two Kaiser Permanente Colorado medical offices: Skyline and Southwest.
It's believed the laptop was stolen for its street value and not the information on the computer, according to media sources, which add that no Social Security information was involved.
Other recent cases of stolen laptops containing personal data include one in which notebooks with payroll details for London's Metropolitan Police were swiped. In another high-profile instance, a laptop containing information on millions of U.S. veterans was taken from the home of a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs worker.
Leslie Katz, senior editor of CNET's Crave, covers gadgets, games, and most other digital distractions. As a co-host of the CNET News Daily Podcast, she sometimes tries to channel Terry Gross. E-mail Leslie. 
