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ACT testing company inadvertently releases information on Colorado Springs-area students [The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo.)](Gazette (Colorado Springs, CO) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Sept. 16--The ACT national college entrance exam testing company is working to resolve a breach of personal information that happened last weekend involving Colorado Springs-area students. While attempting to change the test date for a Colorado Springs site on Sept. 13, the company said it inadvertently shared students' personal information with other students. About 180 students had registered to take the test that day and were sent an email notifying them of the change in schedule. However, the testing company mistakenly attached a list of all registered students' names, mailing addresses, email addresses, dates of birth and ACT testing ID numbers. The situation is not associated with the state, the Colorado Department of Education or any of its tests. According to the CDE, the breach has no impact on the state's data or the safety of student information the CDE secures and protects. "Over the last couple of years, CDE has bolstered its own student privacy and data security measures to prevent a breach of student information privacy," the CDE said in a statement. The ACT testing company immediately notified students of the situation and assured them that the information leak did not include social security numbers, credit card information, user ID or password information, according to CDE. The company also has taken steps to ensure that no unauthorized entry or changes can be made to students' ACT accounts. Questions about the situation can be answered by calling the testing company's customer service line at 1-319-337-1270 or emailing [email protected]. ___ (c)2014 The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo.) Visit The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo.) at www.gazette.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |