Jeb Bush's email dump revealed personal information, including social security numbers, of Florida residents

Jeb Bush
(Image credit: Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)

Jeb Bush's efforts at the "spirit of transparency" have backfired tremendously.

The rumored 2016 Republican presidential candidate published hundreds of thousands of emails that were sent to him while he was the governor of Florida. But those emails revealed many people's personal information, including email addresses, home addresses, phone numbers, and even social security numbers of Florida residents.

"In the spirit of transparency, I am posting the emails of my governorship here," Bush's website states. "Some are funny; some are serious; some I wrote in frustration."

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The emails include information about government operations as well as religious parables and "tales of personal struggle," The Verge reports. But most notable are emails from citizens about medical or employment issues, because those citizens' social security numbers are now public on Bush's website. Bush told reporters that those affected should hang tight: "We're going to take it off," he said.

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Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.