Data theft is a growing phenomenon primarily caused by system administrators and office workers with access to technology such as database servers, desktop computers and a growing list of hand-held devices capable of storing digital information, such as USB flash drives, iPods and even digital cameras.
[2] Alternatively, an employee may choose to deliberately abuse trusted access to information for the purpose of exposing misconduct by the employer.
From the perspective of the society, such an act of whistleblowing can be seen as positive[3] and is protected by law in certain situations in some jurisdictions, such as the United States.
Notable acts of data theft include those by leaker Chelsea Manning and self-proclaimed whistleblowers Edward Snowden and Hervé Falciani.
[4] A USB flash drive was allegedly used to remove highly classified documents about the design of U.S. nuclear weapons from a vault at Los Alamos without authorization.