Florida saved a nickel per page by axing state workers and contracting instead with Convergys to scan and digitize government employee personnel files. The price tag for offshoring that task — and spreading around social security and bank account numbers — could be considerably higher. Tallahassee Democrat:
Lawyers for state employees urged Attorney General Charlie Crist’s office Tuesday to make Convergys warn tens of thousands of state workers that their confidential personnel data – including Social Security and bank-routing numbers – may have been illegally sent to computer companies in India, China and Barbados.
A lawsuit is in the works, for among other things, failing to notify the affected employees so they could try to protect themselves from fraud and identity theft. But it gets even better. Looking for something to read in the break room? How about my personnel file?
GDXdata has said it will vigorously defend against the suit, which was reported Dec. 25 by the Tallahassee Democrat. On the same day, the newspaper separately reported on an investigation by Department of Management Services Inspector General Steve Rumph, who said People First employees were able to leaf through personnel files for their own amusement, download data to disks, e-mail it or print it out – often without leaving a computer trail.
People First is Gov. Jeb Bush’s biggest privatization project – a $350 million, nine-year contract for Convergys to provide online personnel services. The system has been haunted by big and small glitches for three years, but the Department of Management Services has recently said it is running much better.
“This is why privatization is a failed experiment,” Gonzalez said. “Ultimately, when you’re trying to get accountability, you can’t get anybody to take responsibility.”
Crist, who is running as a Republican candidate for governor this year, doesn’t seem anxious to get involved but his deputy AG, Clay Roberts, says he’s a victim too.
“My boss was among those people who, according to one of the news articles, had employees looking up things in his file for grins.”
Most state employees haven’t forgotten that when Jeb was sworn in, he surveyed all over which he now had dominion and proclaimed his greatest wish was that there was no government in Florida to run. You’re doing a heckuva job there, Jebby.
