An error in a Minnesota Department of Corrections website may have allowed about 150 people to view personal information about others registered with the site, according to an e-mail from the department.

The Minnesota CHOICE tool allows people to track a criminal through the corrections system. To register, a person has to provide their name, address and contact information — all of which may have been accessible to the 150 individuals until late last week. Department officials noticed the problem April 10 and immediately shut the website down. They are still working to establish a timeline for the error.

The site allows members of the public to identify themselves as a criminal justice professional or victim, among other categories, when they register. But doesn't verify whether they are register under the correct category, said corrections department spokeswoman Sarah Latuseck. All 150 people with access to others' personal information were registered as criminal justice professionals.

Latuseck added that regardless of a person's enrollment, what they are able to view on the site is public information.

One of the 150 registered as a criminal justice professional would have to have been tracking the same criminal as someone else who was registered in order to see that person's information, Latuseck said.

Department officials think it's unlikely that anyone who accessed the website when the error occurred was aware of the vulnerability, making it improbable that any of them viewed personal information, Latuseck said. The department informed all 7,000 people enrolled with the site as a precaution, she said.

Corrections department officials were still working Friday to identify the error and correct it, and Latuseck said the department has added staff to take victim calls 24 hours a day.

Those registered with the site will still receive notifications about the criminals they are tracking, she said, though the website currently shows a "down for maintenance" banner.

Anne Millerbernd is a University of Minnesota student on assignment for the Star Tribune.

Anne Millerbernd • 651-308-7126