Report: Texas voter records exposed online
The voter data was contained in a single file with an estimated 14.8 million records, left on an unsecured server that was not password-protected, TechCrunch reported.
The report said it's not clear who owned the server where the exposed file was found, but one analysis of the data suggested that it was likely originally compiled by
"While the information appears to be voter data, it cannot be confirmed as
But
Vickery, who previously brought to light another data breach that might have involved data compiled by
He said, for example, that the first field in the data is labeled "DT_ID" -- as in, the identification number
He said the breach is "dangerous."
"If it falls into scammers' hands, they'll know who's an elderly citizen, they'll know telephone numbers, they'll know exactly who to
TechCrunch reported that the data was first found by a data breach hunter who goes by Flash Gordon. Flash Gordon did not respond to a request for comment from the
The file contained dozens of fields, including personal information such as voter names, addresses, gender and several years of voting history, including participation in primaries and presidential elections, according to the report.
That sort of data is publicly available from counties or the
"Campaigns request it all the time,"
The office gets roughly 400 requests for voter data annually from campaigns, university researchers, research firms, think tanks, local county parties or individuals, he said. Depending on the number of voters whose information is requested, access to the data -- which extends back to the early 2000s -- can cost about
"Any member of the public can request it," he said, if they pay the fee and sign an affidavit stating that the material won't be used for commercial or advertising purposes.
The secretary of state's office is barred by law from releasing
Similar voting data was at the heart of a controversial request for election records from all 50 states that was made by a commission created by the Trump administration to examine claims of voter fraud. President
According to the TechCrunch report, the data file, which has not been directly reviewed by the Statesman, included dozens of additional fields to score an individual's perceived views on immigration, hunting, abortion rights, government spending and guns.
The TechCrunch report said an analysis of the data -- which also included other personal information, such as phone numbers, ethnicity and race -- suggested it was prepared in time for the 2016 presidential election.
Several fields included estimates about whether individuals "trust" or have "no trust" for then-Democratic candidate
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