Mass. (WNYT) — North Adams officials said they found no evidence of a widespread data breach tied to residents’ personal information
In a statement, the city said the online claim appears tied to two separate public records requests. The city said one response included only vendor names, addresses, vendor ID numbers and amounts paid.
The city said sensitive information was mistakenly included in a separate records response to a resident after what it called a broad and extensive request. According to the statement, that information was not widely shared. The resident returned the documents and notified the city and officials took immediate steps to address it.
The city also said none of the information was provided to an AI company.
The city said it spoke with the attorney representing the resident, who raised the allegation and later clarified that the Starbridge file did not contain the sensitive information described in the Facebook post. Officials said they have asked for more information to better understand the basis for the allegation.
“We take any allegation of a data breach seriously, and we take the handling and protection of sensitive information seriously,” said Mayor Jennifer Macksey said.
The city said its review so far does not support the online claims and found no sign that sensitive information was broadly shared beyond the one person who received it. Officials said that information has since been returned.
“We regret that sensitive information was included in the response to Mr. Milazzo’s request,” Macksey said.
The city said it is reviewing its public records process and how it handles sensitive information. Officials also said they want to provide residents with accurate facts while protecting information that is confidential or sensitive.
