The loss of 18,000 social security numbers is bad, but good thing there aren’t any large government programs demanding a lot of personal information.  Oh.  Wait.  Obamacare.  Honestly, this security breach couldn’t have come at a worse time for the state as it’s desperately trying to convince Coloradans to give up sensitive information through the state’s Obamacare exchange.  7News is reporting that 18,000+ social security numbers of former and current Colorado state government employees are missing after a state employee lost a USB drive.  The state offered this CYA statement:

“The state said out of an abundance of caution it is contacting every individual with a phone call and/or letter to notify them, apologize, and direct them to resources through the Colorado Attorney General’s Office for additional identity protection information.”

Further, the article states the government wants to assure Coloradans the employee “did not follow established protocol”.  As if that’s somehow meant to make Coloradans feel better about offering up sensitive information?

Shouldn’t we be a little concerned the government feels it’s necessary to point out it is not part of their normal protocol to compromise the privacy and financial safety of thousands of people?

The end of letter directs the individual to a website set up by Colorado’s Attorney General with tips on how to protect oneself from identity theft; might we suggest one more: not trusting the government with your information.