Who Put This Huge Database of U.S. Voting Records Online?

[LiberalElite]

Source: PC Magazine

Time to get out your deerstalker hat. Somewhere out there is a publicly available database with approximately 191 million voting records, with details like names, birthdates, addresses, phone numbers, and political party affiliation.

The problem? Nobody knows who owns the database, who set it up, how it got online, or why its information is public. According to CSO, which first reported on the story after being alerted to its existence by researcher Chris Vickery, it's likely that the information in the database came from the political data firm NationBuilder, but it's not necessarily the company's fault that the information is live. A customer possibly purchased this information and made it public, but it's unclear if they did so on purpose or by mistake.

Read more: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2497166,00.asp

[truedelphi]

1. I tried to figure out if this somehow involved the Cloud?

Don't think it got mentioned in the article. Does anyone know ?

[cui bono]

9. What do you mean "the Cloud"?

If you're talking about what people refer to when they say something is stored in the cloud that's just another name for on the internet and means it is somewhere on someone's server that is connected to the internet so that you can access it.

If you mean something else I'm curious what that is.

.

[truedelphi]

16. You didn't get that I meant the Cloud covering the Dark Star?

But with the force being with the opponents, a decent life was restored to all?

(Jes kiddin' with ya.)

I guess what I am wondering if this breach had anything to do with a security breach of info stored on the Cloud. (Whether google's or someone else's, I wouldn't know.)

[cui bono]

17. the Cloud is just a pretty term someone thought up to make someone else's server/drive

sound nice and soft and cozy and safe.

In reality, it is just someone else's hard drive sitting in another computer in some room and can be hacked into if it is not secure.

.

[SwankyXomb]

11. "The Cloud"

is just someone else's hard drive.

[onecaliberal]

2. Very good question. Who was the keeper of it?

[joshcryer]

3. NationBuilder? Geez, they are NGP VAN's competitor.

Looks like now would be a good time to make open source canvassing tools.

[eridani]

6. Not really--they sell their data to anyone AFAIK n/t

[jwirr]

15. Exactly.

[MH1]

4. My understanding is that MOST of what you list, IS public information.

I can go to my county Bureau of Elections, and for a processing fee, get that data for all registered voters in the county. Except birthdate, I think. The output I've seen only has age. But everything else is there. (I haven't gotten around to doing that yet because I don't have enough time on my hands to set up a competitor to VAN. Yet. But I have asked and this is what I was told.)

How else does a candidate's oppo team find out that her opponent never even showed up to vote until a couple years ago when they started thinking about running this race?

[Mr.Bill]

7. I can't speak for other states, but in California, you are correct.

I am a precinct inspector where I live and any voter can come to the polls during election day and see who has voted so far, party affiliation, address, who was sent a mail-in ballot, etc. This information is on display and updated every hour.

Of course there is no record of who or what anyone voted for. When the ballot goes in the box, there is no name attached.

[MH1]

8. Right, no one knows who you voted for, but anyone can find out your party affiliation,

and in which elections you showed up to vote. And your address and phone number.

[davidpdx]

12. Correct

I ran a city council campaign over a decade ago and was able to get a list of the voters in the city I was in. At the time the elections office put it on a CD-rom. I suppose now that CD-rom's are pretty much obsolete it would be put in a zip file and either emailed or put on a memory stick.

[JohnnyRingo]

5. The price will keep away all but political pros.

I think it's about $500 to register and that's a price that should keep casual stalkers away. It also creates a paper trail to those who would somehow abuse it.

[reACTIONary]

10. I think SBS set it up a a . ..

Honey pot to lure HRC moles in his organization to attempt to hack it so that he can turn them into the DNC and prove that DWS is behind the plot!

Did I leave anyone ou? MO'M must be involved somehow!

[bananas]

13. The database has been taken offline.

https://www.reddit.com/r/privacy/comments/3yinij/entire_us_voter_registration_record_leaks_191/

[GreydeeThos]

14. The Sanders' campaign released the informatin they got from the DNC

Everybody is on somebody's list somewhere.