A Missouri prosecutor will not charge a St. Louis Post-Dispatch journalist who exposed a state database flaw that allowed public access to thousands of teachers’ Social Security numbers.
Highlights
- Cole County Prosecutor Locke Thompson says there is an argument to be made that there was a violation of law.
- A St.
- Louis Post-Dispatch reporter exposed a state database flaw that allowed public access to teachers’ Social Security numbers.
- Republican Gov.
- Mike Parson announced the investigation in October after a reporter informed the state of a significant data issue that left the teachers’ data vulnerable to public disclosure.
- The newspaper held off publishing a story about the flaw until the state fixed it, but the state called the reporter a “hacker” The state did its part by investigating and presenting its findings to the Cole County prosecutor, spokeswoman Kelli Jones says.