California State Website Mistakenly Exposes Personal Info on Gun Owners
A California effort to provide transparency on firearms data accidentally exposed the personal information of numerous gun owners in the state.
California’s Department of Justice on Monday launched(Opens in a new window) the 2022 Firearms Dashboard Portal to help the public easily access firearms data, including concealed carry weapons (CCW) permits and gun violence restraining orders.
However, the same portal also offered personal details on gun owners with CCW permits, including their full names, birthdates, and home addresses, according(Opens in a new window) to gun news site The Reload, which viewed the exposed information.
The exact scale of the breach remains unclear. But the portal seems to have leaked the personal details of at least 2,891 people in Los Angeles County, according to The Reload. The exposed data was also downloadable via a button and could indicate if a CCW permit owner was a judge or a law enforcement officer.
California’s Department of Justice has since shut down its entire OpenJustice site, which was hosting the Firearms Dashboard Portal. “We are investigating an exposure of individuals’ personal information connected to the DOJ Firearms Dashboard,” the department told PCMag.
“Any unauthorized release of personal information is unacceptable. We are working swiftly to address this situation and will provide additional information as soon as possible,” the department added.
Gun advocates are blasting California's DOJ for the data leak. The California Rifle & Pistol Association noted “hundreds of thousands” of gun owners in the state may be affected.
“While the Portal now has finally been pulled down off the site, it left confidential information exposed for a minimum of twelve hours. The
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