Missing SFO laptop found--where it went missing
Computer that held names, addresses, and birthdates for people applying for airport security clearance is found in same office from which it was supposedly stolen.
A laptop with information on prescreened travelers, which was reported stolen, has been found, and the incident may be relabeled the case of the misplaced laptop.
Late Monday, the Transportation Security Administration had announced that a laptop containing data on about 33,000 travelers who had applied for a national airport security fast-pass card was believed to have been stolen from a locked office at the San Francisco Airport in late July.
Early Tuesday, however, the computer was found in the same company office from which it was supposedly stolen on July 26, Allison Beer, senior vice president for corporate development for Verified Identity Pass, which runs the Clear screening program, told The San Francisco Chronicle. The computer, which held names, addresses, and birthdates for people applying to the program, was found in the same airport office but not in its previous location, the executive told the newspaper.
"Yes, it was sensitive privacy information, but not the stuff that was most sensitive," the executive told the paper, adding that a preliminary investigation showed that information was not compromised.
As a result of the investigation, new sign-ups for the program have been suspended. The program lets travelers pay to have the TSA verify their identities, allowing them access to special security lanes in airports to avoid lengthy security line waits.