It appears that US SEC accidentally leaked the personal information of over 650 individuals.
The United States Securities and Exchange Commission, an independent agency of the United States federal government enforcing the laws against market manipulation, has accidentally leaked the personal information of crypto miners tied to the blockchain firm Green.
According to the Washington Examiner report shared on January 17th, in total, US SEC leaked the names and email addresses of more than 650 individuals.
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US SEC obtained the leaked names and email addresses during its private investigation into the blockchain firm. At the time of the probe, SEC was reportedly communicating with Green clients about their purchases and overall experience.
It is worth noting that the release of private information obtained by the United States SEC violates its security laws. According to the SEC website, any personal identifying information gathered by the Securities and Exchange Commission is protected by the Privacy Act of 1974, which states:
The Privacy Act of 1974 [...] prohibits the disclosure without consent of information about individuals that the federal government maintains in a system of records.
Moreover, in the further sections of the text, US SEC undertakes to protect personal information “in accordance with the Privacy Act.”
The crypto community was shocked about the news, claiming that the SEC opened the doors for malicious actors to hack “the nodes” or computers used to mine Green crypto tokens, as the leaked information is more than enough to complete an exploit.
The spokesperson of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission commented on the matter by stating:
Protecting the privacy of all parties is critically important, and the SEC is looking into this matter.
It is not the first time the SEC launched investigations into crypto-related firms. In November, after cryptocurrency exchange FTX filed for bankruptcy, US SEC reportedly aimed to determine whether FTX “mishandled customer funds.” Nevertheless, at the end of October, SEC launched an investigation into Bored Ape Yacht Club creator Yuga Labs.
