California DOJ exposes personal data of the state’s concealed-carry weapon permit holders

The California Department of Justice suffered a data breach as part of the update of its 2022 Firearms Dashboard Portal, exposing the private information of hundreds of thousands of gun owners in the state.

The incident has impacted all citizens who were granted or denied a concealed and carry weapons (CCW) permit between 2011-2021, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement.

The leaked information left in public access included names, date of birth, gender, race, driver’s license number, addresses, and criminal history. In turn, Social Security numbers and financial information seem to be secure.

Additionally, data from Assault Weapon Registry, Handguns Certified for Sale, Dealer Record of Sale, Firearm Safety Certificate, and Gun Violence Restraining Order dashboards was affected. It is yet unclear what personal information was leaked from these dashboards.

“This unauthorized release of personal information is unacceptable and falls far short of my expectations for this department,” said Bonta in a statement. “I immediately launched an investigation into how this occurred at the California Department of Justice and will take strong corrective measures where necessary.”

The updated Firearms Dashboard Portal was up for less than a day and got taken down after the department learned it publicly exposed personal information.

“The California Department of Justice is entrusted to protect Californians and their data. We acknowledge the stress this may cause those individuals whose information was exposed. I am deeply disturbed and angered.”

The department has requested all people who downloaded the data not to share or disseminate it. However, there have already been reports of gun owners being scared for their physical and digital safety.