The loss of the Bureau's laptops has been of particular concern, since that agency collects sensitive data like names, Social Security numbers, and incomes, information that could be used in identity theft attempts.

The disclosure was made after the House Committee on Government Reform asked a number of federal departments to give details on any computer losses they may have incurred with potential for personal information exposure.

In a private briefing for members of Congress, Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez estimated that the missing laptops could contain the information of nearly 6,200 households, according to news reports.

All of the Census Bureau's computers were password-protected, but only 107 had a higher-level form of encryption to protect data.

Wider Impact

The Commerce Department's loss is just one of many missing laptop incidents that have opened organizations to data compromise.

Laptops are especially well suited for theft, noted JupiterResearch analyst Joe Wilcox. They are portable, valuable, and can be easily resold. Often, thieves do not even think about the data that resides on the machine, although some more savvy criminals can sell such information on the black market, Wilcox said.

"The data is just a bonus," he noted. "Notebooks are simply high target items. This is a problem that's not going to go away anytime soon."

Data Bank

As many government organizations, associations, and enterprises are likely to find in the near future, it is not just laptops that are vulnerable to theft and loss with subsequent data exposure.

"More and more, there's data co-mingling on different devices," said Wilcox. "People take work home and store it on their home machine, where the kids could be downloading stuff that has spyware attached."

Also of concern are PDAs, smartphones, and any other device that is Web-enabled, he added.

"Any information that leaves the confines of an organization's walls is a security, privacy, and regulatory risk," Wilcox said. "To really protect data, we need a change of behavior about how people treat devices and encrypt data."