GOP contractor exposes data of nearly 200 million people

GOP data contractor Deep Root Analytics exposed voter information for up to 198 million people this month by storing the information on a non-secure Amazon server. In a statement, the firm confirms that a number of files within its online storage system were unknowingly accessed and says it takes "full responsibility for this situation." Deep Root says they have updated the access settings on the server and put protocols in place to prevent further access.

Why it matters: The data leak itself isn't as big as the implications of the leak, as lot of Deep Root's data is is publicly available. The exposure shows that the company, which touts itself as being one of the most sophisticated data management platforms, was lax when it came to protecting its proprietary data, which companies pay big money for. The RNC, for example paid nearly $1 million for Deep Root's insights during the 2016 election.