The GA Secretary of State May Have Just Compromised Your Security

Today, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reported that two Georgia voters have filed a class action lawsuit alleging “a massive data breach by Secretary of State Brian Kemp involving the Social Security numbers and other private information of more than six million voters statewide.”

 

Equally as bad—the Republicans in charge of this state haven’t done a damn thing to reach out to consumers, admit their mistakes and help Georgians protect themselves.

 

 

Well if the Secretary of State Brian Kemp won’t do it, and Governor Nathan Deal won’t do it, we will.

 

 

Here’s what you should know:

 

 

This wasn’t hacking. No one broke into the system and stole your identifying information. Brian Kemp simply gave it away—more than 30 days ago.

 

 

A lawsuit was filed and in it there are screenshots (redacted) of the plaintiffs’ information that was distributed. We know that the information contained on the disc that never should have been distributed include:

 

 

Your name

Your address

Your date of birth

Your social security number

Your drivers’ license

Your gender

Your race/ethnicity

Your phone number

 

 

Here’s how you can protect yourself:

 

 

If you believe that this breach of security may cause you to become a victim of identity theft, visit the website of or call one of the three main credit bureaus:

 

 

• Equifax: 800-525-6285 or www.equifax.com
• Experian: 888-397-3742 or www.experian.com
• TransUnion: 800-680-7289 or www.transunion.com

 

 

Request that an “Initial Alert” be placed on your account. This service is free and it places an alert on your account for 90 days that prevents from a new card being opened up in your name.  Check out THIS website to get more information.

 

 

If you believe you are already a victim of identity theft, please follow the steps outlined HERE.

 

 

You can download an entire booklet on identity theft at the Federal Trade Commission’s website HERE.

 

 

How do we protect ourselves in the future:

 

 

Vote these fools out of office. Seriously. We need someone who can use, update and protect databases in this state. And then, we need a group of statewide elected officials who actually believe in protecting us, Georgians and consumers.