28 Jul 2017

IT Outsourcing causes classified data rift in Sweden

Sweden's  Home Affairs Minister Anders Ygeman and Sweden's Infrastructure Minister Anna Johansson have both resigned after a politically charged data security controversy at the Swedish Transport Agency.

Swedish driving license records and classified information such as data on military vehicles have potentially been exposed to Eastern European IT consultants under the employment of IBM Sweden.  Some of the Eastern European IT consultants were from Romania, Czech Republic, and Serbia.  

IBM Sweden was providing managed IT services as far back as 2015 when Sweden outsourced its transport agency IT operations.  This past January, the Swedish Transport Agency's director general Maria Agren was fired and fined by authorities for "mishandling of classified material."  The current director general of the Swedish Transport Agency Jonas Bjelfvenstam has said there are "no indications that data was disseminated improperly."  IBM has said that it takes "data privacy very seriously."

Leaders from Sweden's Center Party, Moderates, Christian Democrats and Liberals called for an emergency parliament session during Summer holidays and pushed for a motion of no-confidence against the center-left government leaders Infrastructure Minister Anna Johansson, Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist, and Interior Minister Anders Ygeman.  Peter Hultqvist has not resigned.
 

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