Data of almost 200 million voters leaked online by GOP analytics firm

Personal information of almost 200 million registered U.S. voters was accidentally exposed online due to an improperly configured security setting, security firm UpGuard revealed on Monday.

The leaked information, compiled by Republican data firm Deep Root Analytics and two other Republican contractors, included names, birth dates, addresses, voter registration details and social media posts.

UpGuard cyber risk analyst Chris Vickery discovered the open database of 198 million voters on June 12, and it was secured on June 14. Putting that number into context, Politico reported last October that the United States had a little more than 200 million voters.

About 1.1 terabytes of data was available to download and not password protected.

“This the DNA of voter analysis,” Vickery told CNNTech. “This is exactly what they use to determine how someone is likely to vote on a specific issue.”

Deep Root said in a statement the data was exposed on June 1 when the firm updated security settings. The firm said it “builds voter models to help enhance advertiser understanding of TV viewership.”

Read Original Article