Lost laptops rebuttal

Apparently, not everyone was convinced that 10,000 to 12,000 laptops go missing at US airports as originally reported by the Ponemon Group (no affiliation to the Pokemon Group) last week. An article by Computer World is claiming that the data just doesn't add up that high. For instance, the original report claimed that nearly 1,000 laptops go missing each week at Miami International Airport alone. A check by Computer World with airport officials revealed only 38 reports of missing or lost laptops in the last 12 months. And it goes on. The report also said that 450 laptops are reported lost, missing or stolen at Reagan National Airport each week, but the airport authority claims only 276 laptops were turned in to lost and found for all of 2007. Obviously that doesn't take into account the possibility of stolen laptops or those left on an aircraft or at the security checkpoints which would be kept in the property of the airlines and TSA, respectively. Sari Koshetz, a TSA spokeswoman, commented that the TSA "consider(s) this study very nonscientific." Larry Ponemon, head of the Ponemon Institute, claims he still stands by his numbers but plans to revise the study to better explain his methodology. For instance, Ponemon considers someone who momentarily forgot their laptop bag, say, in the restroom but returned to claim it 30 seconds later to be in this group. Not surprisingly, the original study was sponsored by Dell to pimp their laptop security services.

(via Computer World)

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