October 8th, 2007
The University of Iowa Department of Philosophy has recently learned that a laptop computer owned by Tuomas Manninen, a former teaching assistant now living in Arizona, was stolen over the September 15 weekend in a break-in at his home. The hard drive on this computer contained the names, ID numbers, and class records such as attendance, test scores, and grades of 184 students who took his philosophy courses at the UI between 2002 and 2006. This information did not include birth date, or any financial information such as credit card numbers. I am writing to inform you that while your record was contained on the lost computer, your University issued identification number rather than your Social Security number was used to identify you. Your social security number was not present in the stolen files in any form.
Appropriate law enforcement agencies have been notified. Authorities believe it is unlikely that the thieves targeted the laptop computer because of the data it contained. However, the University never takes these incidents lightly. We believe we have a responsibility to inform anyone whose personal information has been exposed by a computer theft.
We at the Department of Philosophy apologize for any inconvenience or concern this situation may cause, but we believe you should be fully informed about this theft. We do not anticipate any problems for you; however, we stand ready to answer any questions you may have. Please refer to a list of questions and answers relating to this incident at http://www.uiowa.edu/~phil/noSSN.shtml
We want to reassure you that we have no knowledge of any data being misused. If you do suspect any problems associated with this theft, please contact us immediately to support others, and to aid in the ongoing investigation.
Please know that the University is committed to doing everything it can to ensure the security of any personal information received from you and about you. We will work with law enforcement and continue to evaluate our systems and methods to protect your personal information.
Please feel free to call me at 319-335-0029 or email me at david-stern@uiowa.edu.
Sincerely,
David Stern
Chair, Department of Philosophy
