If you applied for covid-19 small business loan, your data may have been exposed

If You Applied For COVID-19 Small Business Loan, Your Data May Have Been Exposed

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1 min read
April 23, 2020

WASHINGTON, DC – VIA CNBC – Most small business owners are irate over their COVID-19 small business loans being passed up for larger corporations who received a bulk of the funding approved by the federal government, but now, those rejected business owners are finding out there’s a consolation prize.

“Personal identifiable information of a limited number of Economic Injury Disaster Loan applicants was potentially exposed to other applicants on SBA’s loan application site,” CNBC reported the SBA statement. “We immediately disabled the impacted portion of the website, addressed the issue, and relaunched the application portal.”

Over 4 million businesses applied for $383 billion in federal aid, of which only $17 billion was funded by the government, leaving most businesses out in the cold.

Initially, the program offered $10,000 in aid within days of applying.  Shortly after the SBA changed that and extended the window to “within a few days”.  Eventually, they lowered the bar again to say that immediate cash grants would only cover $1,000 per employee, but at the end of the day, most small businesses received nothing.

 

Phil Stilton

Phil Stilton is the Editor and Publisher of Shore News Network, an independent digital newsroom providing original reporting on New Jersey, national news, government, public policy, public safety, courts, and community affairs.

As founder of the publication, Stilton leads editorial strategy, investigative reporting, and daily newsroom operations while overseeing coverage that reaches millions of readers annually.

With extensive experience covering municipal government, county government, state legislatures, elections, law enforcement, emergency management, and public records, Stilton specializes in translating complex government actions into clear, factual reporting. His work frequently relies on primary source documents, including court filings, legislation, public meeting records, election finance disclosures, government databases, police reports, and Freedom of Information and Open Public Records Act (OPRA) requests. He has reported extensively on local government accountability, taxpayer spending, campaign finance, public corruption investigations, infrastructure, public safety, and the policies affecting New Jersey residents.

Under Stilton's editorial leadership, Shore News Network has grown into one of New Jersey's largest independent digital news organizations, publishing thousands of original news articles each year while providing breaking news coverage, investigative reporting, and analysis across state and local government. The publication's reporting is routinely sourced from official government agencies, public officials, court records, and firsthand documentation, with a commitment to transparency, attribution, corrections when warranted, and clearly distinguishing factual reporting from opinion.

Stilton's journalism follows established newsroom standards emphasizing accuracy, verification, fairness, and accountability. Every effort is made to verify information through official records and multiple reliable sources before publication. His reporting is intended to provide readers with timely, well-documented information that helps them understand the issues affecting their communities, while maintaining editorial independence from political parties, government agencies, advocacy organizations, and commercial interests.

Readers can submit story tips, corrections, public records, or media inquiries through the official Shore News Network website or its verified social media channels. Shore News Network welcomes corrections and updates when new information becomes available as part of its ongoing commitment to accurate and transparent journalism.

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