Whether it be a careless official leaving a USB drive in a taxi or a malicious hack, personal data scandals are part and parcel of modern life.
But the German town of Dermbach, located in the centre of the country, is embroiled in a row over medical records that is unique, to say the least. For confetti strewn during a recent carnival turned out to include poorly-shredded medical records.
The scandal came to light after a resident spotted the name of her sister on one of the fragments while helping to clean up litter from the event.
The documents contained identifiable personal information. State data protection commissioner Lutz Hasse confirmed that the information on the confetti included names, addresses and telephone numbers, according to Heise Online.
One local resident told Bild that X-Rays were also found among the rubbish.
Authorities are now investigating where the records came from and why they were not properly shredded.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Josh is a staff writer covering Europe, including politics, policy, immigration and more.
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