Princeton club accidentally exposes alumni

PRINCETON, N.J., May 9 (UPI) -- Social Security numbers of 103 recent Princeton graduates were accidentally e-mailed to current members of a private eating club at the New Jersey school.

A spreadsheet with the names and numbers of Tower Club members in the classes of 2006 and 2007 was accidentally attached to an unrelated e-mail, The Daily Princetonian reported. That e-mail was an announcement of club events.

Greg Berzolla, Princeton '87 and chairman of the Tower graduate board, blamed a "technical glitch" for the information leak.

Once Tower officers realized what had happened, they sent another e-mail asking members to delete the one with the spreadsheet attached. Berzolla said the club also notified the alumni whose information had been compromised that Tower will pay for a year of identity theft protection and had asked New Jersey State Police for advice on further steps.

Valerie McConnell, class of 2007, said she was "pissed off" until she realized the leak was accidental.

"Now that I know that the Social Security numbers weren't sent out on purpose, I'm not pissed off," McConnell said. "I think my identity is OK. I can't imagine anyone in the club trying to steal my identity -- not that there's a lot to steal right now anyway."