Data breach: Hardcopy personnel files disappeared from Europol office in The Hague
Hardcopy personnel files of several Europol executives disappeared from the European police service’s headquarters in The Hague sometime before September last year, POLITICO reported based on an internal memo and conversations with involved sources. Europol is currently trying to figure out how these paper files, which were supposed to be kept in a safe in a secure storage room inside the office, got out.
“On Sep. 6, 2023, the Europol Directorate was informed that personal paper files of several Europol staff members had disappeared,” POLITICO quoted the internal memo, dated September 18. “Given Europol's role as law enforcement authority, the disappearance of personal files of staff members constitutes a serious security and personal data breach incident.”
The news site spoke to four current and former Europol officials who know about the incident. They said that the stolen files include those of Europol’s Executive Director Catherine De Bolle and three deputy directors - Jürgen Ebner, Andrei Lințǎ, and Jean-Philippe Lecouffe.
Personnel files can contain all kinds of sensitive data, including birth dates, marital status, dependents, current address, and information about the official’s job application. Some of the files were recovered when a citizen found them abandoned in a public place in The Hague and took them to a local police station, they said. It is unclear whether that was how the breach was discovered.
Europol keeps its sensitive hardcopy HR files locked away in a safe in a room with restricted access, POLITICO’s sources said. Very few people know the code to the safe. It is still unclear how or why the files were taken or how long they were missing before the data breach was discovered.
After the incident, Europol put its head of Human Resources, Massimiliano Bettin, on administrative leave, the officials told the site. The agency notified the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) and affected staff members about the breach.
Europol is responsible for coordinating international investigations involving multiple European police services. It is also responsible for cooperation with other international authorities like Interpol or the American FBI. It is one of the European Union’s largest agencies, employing around 1,400 people.
