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Topics: World News, Technology, Food And Drink
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Emily Brown
Most of us are guilty of having done something stupid while indulging in a few drinks after work, so if you've ever felt bad about it, just know that one man managed to lose track of nearly half a million people's personal data during a night out.
The Japanese man, who has not been named, worked as a private contractor and was carrying the data on a USB stick in a bag he took with him when he went out for drinks in western city of Amagasaki, Japan, on Tuesday (21 June).
Mixing alcohol with important or valuable items is never a good idea, but this man learned that the hard way after he apparently passed out on the street and woke up to find both his bag and the memory stick missing, BBC News reports.
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The USB had contained the names, addresses, birthdays and other personal information of all the city's 460,000 residents, as well as tax data and bank account information on some locals.
The man, who was working on a municipal pandemic relief program which provides relief payments to local households, had the drive in his possession after the information had been copied to facilitate its transfer to a call centre in Osaka.
In a press conference announcing the loss of the device, an official for Amagasaki commented: "We deeply regret that we have profoundly harmed the public's trust in the administration of the city."
Amagasaki has assured the data was encrypted and the USB stick was locked with a password, meaning the data won't be immediately accessible to anyone who may have found it.
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There is currently no sign the information has been accessed and the situation has been reported to police, who have launched an investigation into the USB stick's disappearance.
In a statement cited by Kyodo News, the city said: "We will thoroughly ensure security management when handling electronic data. We will work to regain our residents' trust by heightening awareness of the importance of protecting personal information."
Amagasaki is said to be a popular place for people to visit if they're looking for a night out, with travel site Osaka Info describing the city as a 'hotspot' and explaining: "Socialising with friends and coworkers over food and drink is the norm, an easy goal to accomplish considering izakayas (Japanese gastropubs) abound and draft beers and highballs (whiskey sodas) are free-flowing."
It certainly sounds like a good night out, but if you happen to go out there just make sure to leave any sensitive information at home.