City of Newton, IA Posts Job Applications Online
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 23, 2008Media Contact: Aaron Titus
(202) 669-2969
NEWTON, Iowa. The City of Newton, Iowa posted three job applicants' personal information on their website for more than a year. The file contained names, social security numbers, address, phone number, employment and education information for three people who applied for city jobs between February 5, 2007 and March 19, 2007. The City deleted the information immediately upon notification, but the file remained available for several weeks in search engine caches. By placing this information online, the City of Newton has placed these individuals at extreme risk of identity theft.
The Liberty Coalition was able to contact at least two of the individuals whose personal information was exposed online, who were angered and upset that such a mistake occurred.
Individuals affected by this exposure should immediately visit www.nationalidwatch.org and search for their names, to confirm what types of personal information were exposed. NationalIDWatch.org has a list of recommended steps victims should take.
About NationalIDWatch.org
National ID Watch is a search engine for personal information breaches. Sponsored by the Washington, DC non-profit Liberty Coalition, NationalIDWatch.org provides more than a million free personalized Identity Exposure Reports™ as a public service.
Each Identity Exposure Report (IXR) documents what types of personal information were exposed (such as Social Security Numbers, Birth Dates, Addresses, etc.), without revealing them. Each IXR also details the situation surrounding each exposure, and contact information of those responsible for the breach. Armed with this information, victims can further investigate, take action, or correct harm.