The Historical Archive of the State Security Services (ÁBTL) reported that it unexpectedly received a batch of magnetic tapes from the Constitutional Protection Office on 5 October. The tapes were delivered in an unstructured format, but the archive’s chief, Cseh Gergő Bendegúz, said it was confident that the available IT resources would allow the data to be processed by the legal deadline of 4 November. The statement was made by Cseh after the National Security Committee’s Monday meeting was adjourned due to a lack of decision‑making authority. He addressed opposition MPs and explained that the archive had previously verified the contents of its 6‑carton files and B‑type procurement logs multiple times. However, the magnetic tapes arrived in bulk, and the staff had been working continuously to meet the November deadline. Cseh added that the archive had not anticipated that some codes would be misplaced within the data set. “If we had known that incorrect data had entered the system, we would not have published it and would have requested a delay,” he said. He expressed shock at the discovery that data belonging to innocent individuals had been exposed and apologized to those affected. The Ministry of Interior (MTI) reported the incident and the archive’s response.
Article source: Magyar Hirlap | Image credit: Magyar Hirlap