California law enforcement officials are investigating a data breach of one of its websites that exposed personal data belonging to every gun owner with a conceal-and-carry permit. This breach comes only two days after the website was first launched.
According to a statement Tuesday by the Fresno County Sheriff's Office, the California Department of Justice experienced a breach of its “2022 Firearms Dashboard Portal" and quickly moved to pull down the website after personal information was exposed online.
Among the most sensitive information that was leaked was personal data belonging to every concealed and carry weapons permit holder in California, the nation’s most populated state. It includes sensitive information such as an individual’s person’s name, age, address, criminal history and license type.
It is unknown how long the information was left available on the internet, but California's justice department and local law enforcement have committed to warning those affected of the breach and determining its cause.
"Any unauthorized release of personal information is unacceptable," the California Attorney General's office said in a statement to NBC News.
The state’s Firearms Dashboard Portal was announced on Monday. It includes data from the past decade on dealer record of sales, gun violence restraining orders, carry concealed weapons permits, firearms safety certificates, assault weapons, and a roster of certified handguns.
California's Attorney General Robert Bonta described the platform as a tool to provide transparency into firearms-related data held by the state. He said making the data accessible would put "power and information into the hands of our communities by helping them better understand the role and potential dangers of firearms within our state.”
Personal information of the individuals behind the data was not meant to be publicly available in a bid to balance public safety and the privacy of gun owners.
