An Irish genealogy site left personal data available, according to the country’s Data Protection Commissioner.
The commissioner said his office had contacted the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht as soon as the issue was drawn to its attention, according to the Irish Times. A note on the website said the civil records search were “temporarily unavailable” and that further updates would be provided.
Hawkes expressed concern that “from the identity theft point of view”, details such as mothers’ maiden names and dates of birth were on the site “for all to see”. He pointed out that anyone had a right to get a copy of records of births, marriages and deaths under the current system.
