A Missouri prosecutor has declined to file charges against a reporter for finding a data flaw in a state Department of Education website.
The Cole County Prosecutor’s Office is not charging a St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter for finding the state’s glitch that had the ability to publicly show the social security numbers of about 100-thousand teachers. In a statement by reporter Josh Renaud, he said his actions were entirely legal and consistent with journalistic principles. Renaud said he is concerned that the governor calling him a hacker has left the state more vulnerable to future bad actors.
A statement from Governor Parson’s Office continued to call the incident a hacking and a clear violation of the statute.
