The Federal Trade Commission sent out warning letters to about 100 companies, warning them about sensitive and confidential data found on peer-to-peer file-sharing networks.

The Washington Post has the story:

The Federal Trade Commission said Monday that it has uncovered widespread data breaches at companies, schools and local governments whose employees are swapping music, software and movie files over the Internet.

The consumer protection agency said it sent nearly 100 letters to organizations where information on customers and employees -- including health and financial data and Social Security and driver's license numbers -- leaked through peer-to-peer Web services. It warned that the security breaches could lead to identity fraud or theft, and it recommended that the groups review their policies and inform affected users.

Computerworld has more. The FTC says it will collect information from companies to see if they've violated data privacy laws, but that doesn't mean the FTC plans formal complaints. "The FTC's actions have been a long time coming and highlight the growing concerns over inadvertent leaks on P2P networks, said Eric Johnson, a professor of operations management at Dartmouth College's Tuck School of Business," according to Computerworld.

Computerworld has more background on past data leaks on peer-to-peer networks, some of them "sensational." These include a leak of security information for the First Family, including safe houses and presidential motorcade routes.

AFP has more:

The FTC declined to identify the companies or organizations involved, but said they were both "private and public entities, including schools and local governments."

The companies and organizations ranged in size from "businesses with as few as eight employees to publicly held corporations employing tens of thousands," the FTC said in a statement.

"Companies should take a hard look at their systems to ensure that there are no unauthorized P2P file-sharing programs and that authorized programs are properly configured and secure," FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz said.

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