More than 1,100 laptop computers have vanished from the U.S. Department of Commerce since 2001, most of them laptops assigned to the U.S. Census Bureau. At least 250 are believed to include personal identification information for as many as 6,000 U.S. residents, although passwords and other safeguards limit the potential for misuse of the data.

The Commerce Department is continuing to review the situation and said in a press release that they are "not aware of any data being improperly accessed or used." Individuals who may be affected by the laptop losses are being notified.

The missing laptops are just one of several security breaches reported by the federal government this year. In May 2006, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced the theft of a laptop and disks threatening the personal information of 26.5 million U.S. veterans. In August, another computer was reported missing -- again from the VA -- which contained personal data of as many as 38,000 veterans.

Data Breaches & Identity Theft:
Protecting Your Identity 101
More 2006 Data Breaches
Your Rights in a Data Breach

See Also:
Finding Your Family in the U.S. Census