IDOC: Personal Data of at Least 1,000 Employees Released

The affected employees work at the Lawrence and Dixon correctional centers

More than 1,000 Social Security numbers belonging to Illinois Department of Corrections employees were inadvertently released in a response to a Freedom of Information Act request.

The affected employees work at the Lawrence and Dixon correctional centers, Acting IDOC Director Gladyse Taylor said in a letter informing the Illinois General Assembly about the breach.

“At this time, there is no indication that the information has been misused. We are in the process of notifying the impacted employees and will be available to assist them with any questions they may have,” department spokeswoman Nicole Wilson said in a prepared statement.

Employees’ names, ranks, salaries and job duties also were released in addition to the Social Security numbers, according to the statement. The department said it was made aware of the security breach Friday.

The data was released in response to a civilian FOIA request, but state officials did not immediately say who submitted the request or what information it sought.

Taylor’s letter said the department is investigating the incident and that IDOC plans to review its internal policies regarding FOIA requests.

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