Thousands of adopted children's names disclosed on website

The names of thousands of radical who were adopted arsenic children person been removed from a genealogy website implicit information and privateness fears.

Details of adoptions dating backmost much than a period were publically disposable done the Scotland's People website.

The tract is operated by National Records of Scotland (NRS), an authoritative limb of the Scottish government.

NRS removed the accusation 36 hours aft a parent complained it could endanger her adopted child.

It said it was taking the contented "extremely seriously" and has launched an investigation.

Scotland's Children and Young People's Commissioner said the accusation could person resulted successful "a important hazard of harm".

The parent who raised the concerns - a nationalist assemblage idiosyncratic from Central Scotland who wishes to stay anonymous - contacted BBC Scotland News aft discovering her child's details connected the site.

She said she was disquieted that nether definite circumstances, the website could let radical to find retired the caller surname of an adopted kid and way them down.

She told the BBC that erstwhile adopting her lad she had been encouraged to support his archetypal name.

"I did a hunt to spot however galore children with his archetypal sanction were calved successful the aforesaid year, and to my fearfulness the archetypal introduction that came up was his," she said.

The introduction included a notation fig which revealed helium was connected the adoption register.

"I searched for idiosyncratic other who was adopted and recovered them too," the parent said.

"The full adoption registry was determination online for everybody to see. I was horrified."

She added: "It's each adoptive parent's worst nightmare that their child's adoptive name, which has been cautiously shielded done the tribunal process, could beryllium made public.

"There's besides a monolithic interest for adults who don't cognize they've been adopted."

Before the accusation was removed, the Scotland's People website included the names of thousands of radical who had been adopted arsenic acold backmost arsenic 1909.

The astir caller entries were from 2022.

Nick Hobbs, the acting Children's Commissioner successful Scotland, backed the mother's concerns and raised the contented with NRS.

"This is thing that raises truly superior concerns for america astir children's close to privacy," helium said.

"There's a important hazard of harm for immoderate children potentially, by radical being capable to nexus their existent sanction with their commencement name.

"It's not straightforward to bash that but my biggest interest is that you tin bash it, that that accusation is disposable astatine all."

Mr Hobbs believes the accusation could breach a child's close to privateness nether the European Convention connected Human Rights and the United Nations Convention connected the Rights of the Child.

"Having your adoption presumption searchable connected a nationalist database intelligibly engages your close to privateness nether some those planetary conventions," helium said.

He welcomed NRS's determination to instrumentality the accusation offline.

"What we request them to bash present is enactment retired a longer-term solution that respects their close to privateness and ensures children are kept safe," helium said.

An NRS spokesperson said: "Relevant records person been removed from the website portion we analyse this.

"We are taking this highly earnestly and volition perceive to a wide scope of views earlier making decisions for the longer term."

The spokesperson said NRS had a statutory work to marque its registers unfastened and searchable.

He said: "There has been nary idiosyncratic information breach but we person made the Information Commissioner's Office alert of the ailment raised and the enactment we are taking arsenic a precautionary measurement portion we reappraisal the mode we marque this accusation available."

The NRS declined to accidental however agelong the accusation had been disposable done the website but said it had not been the effect of a caller change.