Dive Brief:
- The University of Oregon is investigating how 22,000 pages of digital records from its president’s office — including confidential faculty, staff, and student information — was “unlawfully” released.
- The information was released to a university professor, who has not been identified, and only one record has been shared externally so far, the Oregonian reported.
- No Social Security numbers, financial information, or medical records were included in the data dump.
Dive Insight:
It is hard to see how serious the breech was without knowing the contents of the 22,000 pages, which included correspondence to and from the last four presidents of the university. But it should serve as a cautionary tale for other colleges and universities about the importance of having proper procedures and training in place. While Oregon law requires state institutions and agencies to release information requested by the public, those record releases are subject to exemptions for personal privacy and other confidential information. Two university employees involved in the release have been placed on leave. The university has asked the professor to "return" the information.