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AG Confirms LSP Report on Exposed SS Numbers

Yesterday, the Lone Star Project detailed how lawyers working for Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott bungled a data transfer with opposing legal counsel in the Texas Voter Photo ID litigation by turning over millions of Texas Social Security numbers, thus creating the potential for misuse, abuse and identify theft.
Yesterday, the Lone Star Project detailed how lawyers working for Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott bungled a data transfer with opposing legal counsel in the Texas Voter Photo ID litigation by turning over millions of Texas Social Security numbers, thus creating the potential for misuse, abuse and identify theft.

In news stories today, a spokesperson for Abbott backed the substance of the LSP story by confirming that the AG’s office mistakenly provided computer disks containing the names of over 13 million Texas registered voters and the full Social Security numbers of at least half of them. The AG’s office admits that full Social Security numbers were improperly released and that a Texas state police officer was sent by the AG’s office to both New York and DC to retrieve the personal information that had been incorrectly released. (Millions of Social Security numbers shared, San Antonio Express-News, April 25, 2012.)

Abbott got lucky and won’t admit it 

Abbott, however, refuses to acknowledge or take responsibility for the fact that wide exposure of the Social Security numbers and the possibility of abuse and identity theft were averted ONLY because of the competence and diligence of the legal counsel who are opposing the Texas Photo ID law. Abbott’s attorneys were oblivious to the fact that they had turned over millions of full Social Security numbers. They learned of their blunder only when one of the lawyers representing opponents to the Voter Photo ID law called to let them know.

Panicked email from AG’s Office

Once learning that they had released private Social Security numbers and realizing the potential damage their negligence could cause, one of Abbott’s attorneys sent a panicked email to the four opposing counsel pleading for confirmation that they did not open the disks or view the private data. Clearly, in sending such an email, Abbott’s office knew the privacy of millions of Texans had been put at risk by the incompetence of the AG’s office.

Will Greg Abbott open a formal investigation?

Release of private Social Security numbers and other personal data to non-law enforcement personnel is a violation of Texas law. In fact, the AG’s office has used the State prohibition against disclosing Social Security numbers to avoid surrendering data to opposing counsel during the pending Voter Photo ID litigation. In a brief filed by Abbott last month, he asserted:

“Texas law forbids the disclosure of most ‘personal information’ in the drivers license database, even for use in litigation. And it imposes criminal liability on those who disclose a social security number submitted on a driver’s license application. See Tex. Transp. Code Sec. 521.044, 521.461, 730.004, 730.007.” (Texas’ Response to the United States’ Motion for Protective Order, March 29, 2012, page three.)

Greg Abbott has an obligation to open a formal investigation into how his office inadvertently released millions of Social Security numbers, putting private Texas citizens at risk.

  • Were laws broken?
  • Was office policy violated?
  • Who in Abbott’s office was responsible for this violation of Texas law and will disciplinary action be taken?
  • What action is being taken to insure the problem does not recur?

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