Huge data breach with gun buyback

Stuff reports:

A data breach has exposed the personal details of thousands of gun owners and led to police closing its firearm buyback platform. 

The details of more than 37,000 firearm owners, including the guns they possess and bank account information, may have been made publicly available, according to the Council of Licensed Firearms Owners (Colfo).

The gun lobby group said it had received the data from a supporter and has released some images obtained in the breach, with personal details redacted. 

Police confirmed the “potential privacy breach” on Monday afternoon. A member of the public has raised the alarm, a statement issued by police’s media team said. 

This is a massive massive blunder.

Any data breach that exposes credit card information is at the more serious end of scale.

But even worse is that this is a database of gun owners who have taken part in the buyback.

Now someone who takes part is highly likely to have only given up the guns they must, by law, so they will have other guns at home.

And the incompetence of the Police or Government has meant that criminal gangs might now have a list of gun owners they can target to steal from.

Also consider that the Government in proceeding with legislation to force every gun in New Zealand to be on a similar register operated by Police. So what confidence can people have that again their details won’t be exposed.