The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) asked an Icelandic hosting company on Thursday to take down or limit access to data related to thousands of agency personnel, saying the content put them at risk, according to the request posted online by hosting company FlokiNET.
The database “places more than 40,000 identifiable individuals at risk of harassment, stalking and physical harm”, the request said.
ZeroFox, a company authorized by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency to pursue content removal actions, cited the figure in an email to FlokiNET.
FlokiNET’s CEO, Kolja Weber, told Reuters that his company would not remove the DHS data because it included government employee work addresses and work phone numbers, not personal phone numbers and addresses.
A DHS spokesperson said the agency “is aware of a potential breach and is actively working to address the situation swiftly and effectively.…