US vets sue government over data theft

The US Department of Veterans Affairs has been hit with a class-action lawsuit following the theft last month of a device containing personal information on about 26.5 million veterans.

Five organisations and several individuals have asked the US District Court for the District of Columbia to force the agency to individually inform everyone affected and to pay $1,000 each to anyone whose privacy has been harmed, Vietnam Veterans of America said on Tuesday.

The suit also seeks to prevent the department from using the data until safeguards have been put in place.

Vietnam Veterans of America said the National Gulf War Resource Center, Radiated Veterans of America, Citizen Soldier and Veterans for Peace are the other groups involved in the legal action.

A message posted on the Veteran Affairs website last month said the breached data covered Social Security numbers and dates of birth for veterans and some of their spouses. On Tuesday, however, the department said information on about 2.2 million active-duty, National Guard and Reserve troops may have also been exposed.

Karen Said writes for CNET News.com