The Dallas data loss report dropped late Thursday in a quiet press release. The report aims to answer questions about the 20TB+ loss of data that is halting prosecutions of murder suspects and interupting city functions.
A press release noted a review and analysis conducted into the mass data loss first discovered by the City in April 2021, the City of Dallas IT Department Thursday provided City Manager TC Broadnax a report giving further details around the events leading to the data loss, the efforts to recover data, and making recommendations for changes to reduce the risk of potential future data loss.
Broadnax noted in a statement, “The City understands the seriousness and potential impacts of this data loss and we are committed to improving how we manage our data to ensure its security and integrity,” said City Manager TC Broadnax. “In this report, our IT Department provides a path forward with a series of direct and actionable recommendations to improve our management of data and guard against any future data loss.”
The statement continues that the report confirms that the City lost 20.9 terabytes (TB) of data, totaling 8.26 million individual files in two events during the month of March 2021. The report cites actions taken by a City IT employee as the cause of the archive deletions and examines other factors and conditions contributing to the events. The data loss impacted archive files of the Dallas Police Department (DPD) and consisted of archived images, videos, audio files, case notes and other administrative documents gathered by the Department. Additionally, it delineates thorough reviews conducted of other backup and archive processes and confirms that other City systems were unaffected by these events.
Data Loss Report Out, But No Answers
The report does not address employee disciplinary actions, nor does it describe the details of any investigatory actions completed or underway related to the data loss. Multiple sources confirm an investigation by the Dallas Field Office of the FBI.
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