Human error may have caused data breach involving more than 5,500 people in P.E.I.

Prince Edward Island says the personal information belonging to thousands of people may have been part of a privacy breach caused by human error.

It says the information of 5,600 clients enrolled in a provincial employment program was inadvertently shared on June 13.

The province did not say who had gained access to the personal data from the breach at SkillsPEI.

The government says the data that was inadvertently shared includes social insurance numbers, education and employment histories, and mailing and email addresses.

The Department of Workforce, Advanced Learning and Population says it is following the guidance of the provincial Access and Privacy Services Office to contain further risks.

PEI’s privacy commissioner will work with other departments on what future steps may be needed as part of the provincial response.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 10, 2023.