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The response follows an announcement by Distributed Denial of Secrets that it had released records on more than 40,000 Department of Homeland Security employees, according to a report by the news agency Reuters.
Distributed Denial of Secrets, a nonprofit data transparency group, said the records came from an entity calling itself Department of Peace. In a statement accompanying the release, it argued that DHS employees “have our information, so it’s only fair that we have theirs”. US Homeland Security is investigating a potential breach of employee data. The material includes contact information and details identifying personnel assigned to surveillance, special operations, and undercover work. The entity did not immediately respond to the publication’s request for comment.
Reuters could not immediately authenticate the entire collection, although it independently confirmed some employees’ details.
DHS said it was “aware of a potential breach and is actively working to address the situation swiftly and effectively. The department said it was working to protect employees and would provide further information when available. The source of the data and how it was obtained remain unverified.