Calif. data loss may have exposed 800,000

Four computer storage devices containing personal information for about 800,000 adults and children in California’s child support system — including their names and Social Security numbers — were lost by IBM and Iron Mountain Inc., officials announced Thursday. There’s a chance the information from the California Department of Child Support Services won’t be accessible because a specialized machine is needed to run the cartridges the data is stored on, and special hardware and software are needed to read it, said Christine Lally, a spokeswoman for the state’s Office of Technology Services.