Straight from the hip

I've been wondering what the recent incidents of losing sensitive data might mean to the West Country, and the countryside in particular? During the last few weeks, months and years, various Government departments, the NHS and big companies have lost data containing personal details of a large chunk of the population.

Now I'm not going into who might be at fault here. It could have been negligence, downright anarchy or somebody had a sideline in providing personal details to a third party.

On the other hand, somebody may just have lost it. There's probably a lost luggage cupboard somewhere bursting with locked attaché cases bursting with data.

Noted down as "attaché cases", they're logged in and locked away in some dark corner. Left to gather dust, they might not see the light of day until some archivist – or even an archaeologist – discovers them in a few hundred years.

For the moment, though, they are very personal and very important to Government agencies, commercial concerns and likely employers.

The ones lost by the child benefit lot contained addresses, how many children you have, whether you're married, have children from a former relationship and whether you're paying maintenance to those children. The NHS data had details of your ingrown toenail and the operation you had for piles.

This data contained other things, too. Apparently, it also stated whether those listed were lazy and how often they had sick days. As regards the latter, it was also noted whether those days taken off with flu, bad back and a dislocated finger coincided with a big football/rugby/cricket match. Little red flags popped up when this happened.

A lot of this stuff is beloved by prospective employers, which is worrying. It got me wondering how many other personal things might be listed, especially for the countryside dweller. For instance, is the fact that you have a dog recorded? If the answer to that is yes, then is it also recorded what sort of dog you favour? This observation may not be as fanciful as you might think – bear in mind the belief that owners resemble their mutts. People with insecurities tend towards bull terriers. My reasoning is that the dog's brutish appearance and known aggression are there to make up for what the individual lacks.

That's what anyone gleaning information from a database might suppose. That the dog was found tied up to their gatepost and the local rescue centre did not have a spare kennel for the unwanted mutt may not be information the data collection people are privy to – hence you have an individual labelled "insecure".

And all because of an act of kindness.

I'm not sure whether listing you as a cat person is as important. Cats are very independent creatures and keep themselves to themselves, their character is their own. I can't think that many people would have been listed as pussy fanciers – though then again, they might be.

Hobbies are listed, too. Now isn't that odd? Somebody listing binge-drinking as a hobby deserves to have their details sold on – no doubt the breweries will be fighting over that one. How about if your hobby is gardening? Do they list whether you're a flower gardener or a vegetable gardener? I mean, is a rose grower likely to be a pricklier employee than one who grows chives?

What about being a member of the WI? I'm not sure how anyone purchasing data would view being a member of the WI. On the one hand, there's jam and Jerusalem, on the other there's a very popular calendar featuring a number of their very brave and very mature membership with their kit off. All in a good cause, of course.