For those readers who do not also read DataBreaches.net, there’s a situation in Utah that is worthy of note here.
Yesterday, a list of 1300 allegedly illegal aliens was leaked to media outlets and others. By tonight, the state had determined that the list came from a database maintained by the state’s Department of Workforce Services. Over 1200 state employees have access to that database on a daily basis.
It is bad enough when state employees snoop in databases out of curiosity about celebrities, politicians, friends, and family. It is quite another thing when people are being named as illegal aliens — and there is already some indication that at least one of those named is a naturalized citizen. Latino groups have referred to this incident as “domestic terrorism.”
I’m not sure what I would call it, but this cannot stand. Those responsible for this breach need to be identified, fired, and prosecuted to the fullest extent of federal and state laws. No excuses. Government databases must be secured so that the public can trust them and this type of breach is particularly egregious in terms of destroying trust in the government’s ability to protect personal information.