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Millions of Texas Voter Records Exposed Online (techcrunch.com)
A folder containing an estimated 14.8 million Texas voter records was left on an unsecured server without a password. Considering Texas has 19.3 million registered voters, this leak is very substantial. The file was discovered by a New Zealand-based data breach hunter who goes by the pseudonym Flash Gordon. TechCrunch reports: It's not clear who owned the server where the exposed file was found, but an analysis of the data reveals that it was likely originally compiled by Data Trust, a Republican-focused data analytics firm created by the GOP to provide campaigns with voter data. The file -- close to 16 gigabytes in size -- contained dozens of fields, including personal information like a voter's name, address, gender and several years' worth of voting history, including primaries and presidential elections. It's not known exactly when the data was compiled, but an analysis of the data suggests it was prepared in time for the 2016 presidential election. It's also not known if the file is a subset of the 198 million records leak last year -- or if it's a standalone data set.
...the best solution to this is not the collect the data in the first place. If you collect data it will get out.
In many states, you can get a copy of the voter registration database pretty easily. Some even have public web links to zip files. In others they may charge you per entry.
Know what almost all of them have? "personal information like a voter's name, address, gender and several years' worth of voting history"
Why? They are invaluable to campaigns for basic things like get out the vote efforts.
Sure, they run their own data systems on top (marking known donors to friendly or unfriendly candidates), social media history, etc, but this should not be surprising or shocking.
Help Brendan pay off his student loans
Is the voting history the standard stuff, not including actual candidate selection?
I have to assume so unless people are voluntarily providing this. Per the article below public information can include:
* Name
* Street address
* Party affiliation
* Elections in which you did (or did not) vote
* Phone number
* Email address
https://www.forbes.com/sites/m...
I have to assume that's what is available, then aggregated with other information since the summary referred to dozens of data points.
Frightening that such data could be public to be honest.
I just read the article, pretty scary shit, people should stop participating in surveys or any sort:
"For example, the data includes fields that might score an individualâ(TM)s believed views on immigration, hunting, abortion rights, government spending and views on the Second Amendment."
BlameBillCosby.com
This wasn't the elections office that had the data it was a private analytics firm working for a political party. How in **** did they get this data at all?
Don't. Mess. With. Texas!
Seems they left it the stuff on the front porch and said "Come and Take it!"
"File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
"an analysis of the data reveals that it was likely originally compiled by Data Trust, a Republican-focused data analytics firm created by the GOP to provide campaigns with voter data."
How many dead people are on that list?
If actual votes are documented and for sale to the highest bidder, how is this information not available to the general public after a blackout period, and if it is, how does this help avoiding the vote buying concern that is claimed for why our voting stubs are 'anonymous'?
Either they are anonymous to avoid retaliation or they are not and should be published for all to see post-haste.
It seems like most of the promise of privacy in America is not to actually protect the public's privacy but to offer a method of monetizing it by not having the government making it available for free.
contained dozens of fields, including personal information like a voter's name, address, gender and several years' worth of voting history, including primaries and presidential elections.
How is the voting history even available ?
Isn't how you voted confidential ?
Shouldn't it be ?
Absolute statements are never true
In the US, what's the law regarding who has access to voter records?
Isn't that public information? I know that in my state, I can go to an official state government web site and purchase/download that information for $20. In some states it's free.
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