GCHQ reportedly lost track of thousands of storage drives; exact count unknown

The Register, citing the Investigatory Powers Commissioner’s Office, reports that GCHQ has been unable to account for thousands of storage drives for years. The office says the missing media may contain Investigatory Powers Act-related data and describes “a very significant number” of potentially lost drives, but the exact count remains unknown. GCHQ says it plans to introduce automated asset tracking by the end of 2026 to help establish a more precise count.