Glitch hits site seeking IT staff
The agency behind the Looksee Wellington website says it is working hard to get it back up and running.
Last Thursday, Wellington Regional Economic Development Agency (Wreda) shut down the website following a privacy breach.
Personal details of about 100 tech experts who applied for free trips to Wellington for job interviews may have been seen by others.
Looksee Wellington is aimed at helping boost the number of mid and senior level IT experts in Wellington. The ratepayer-funded initiative will see 100 jobseekers flown to the capital for job interviews.
Yesterday, Wreda chief executive Chris Whelan said only a handful of new cases had emerged in the feedback from candidates in the past few days.
‘‘In total, we know of about 100 incidents where one user may have seen another user’s registration details.
‘‘With more than 35,000 applicants having used the profile site, this indicates that the issue, while regrettable, is relatively limited in scope.’’
Wreda said the issue stemmed from a software problem, which meant users could potentially view the personal information of others who had registered.
The information could have included personal contact details and attachments, but Wreda said no financial information had been requested.
Whelan said the response from participants, applicants and employers had been positive.
‘‘Everybody understands the site issue, and the clear message is that participants are looking forward to the next phase of this hugely popular programme.’’
Looksee Wellington, which launched in February, quickly gained global media attention, with publications including Forbes and The Daily Mail writing stories.
Thousands of people registered on the site, including some who hold senior roles at major tech brands, including Facebook, Google and Amazon.
Wreda were taking a ‘‘thorough and methodical approach’’ to getting the site back up and running, he said.
‘‘The original error has been identified and removed, and this work has been reviewed by an independent information security consultancy.’’