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Minnesota Shooting Suspect Allegedly Used Data Broker Sites to Find Targets’ Addresses


The Minnesota shooter allegedly researched several “people search” sites in an attempt to target his victims, highlighting the potential dangers of widely available personal data.

According to an FBI affidavit, police searched the SUV believed to be the suspect's and found notebooks that included handwritten lists of “more than 45 Minnesota state and federal public officials, including Representative Hortman’s, whose home address was written next to her name.” According to the same affidavit, one notebook also listed 11 mainstream search platforms for finding people's home addresses and other personal information, like phone numbers and relatives. “The accused Minneapolis assassin allegedly used data brokers as a key part of his plot to track down and murder Democratic lawmakers,” Ron Wyden, the US senator from Oregon, tells WIRED. But most of the previous targets were relatively unknown victims of stalking and abuse," alleges Evan Greer, deputy director of the digital rights group Fight for the Future.

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