State officials have cut off public access to a searchable, online database of state employee email addresses, saying it posed a security risk.

The move, which narrows the ways the public can access people who work for commonwealth agencies, presents transparency concerns and highlights the challenges of balancing the right to information and cybersecurity.

Read the full report: Pa. removes email database of public employees.

THE CONTEXT: The database was launched in 2012 and gave the public a way to directly contact employees in various state departments. 

Dan Egan, communications director with the state Office of Administration, which oversees cybersecurity for state agencies, said the directory put sensitive information at risk by exposing agencies to phishing attacks. 

Susan MacManus, a political scientist, said data breaches originating within a government's own workforce are a top concern among cybersecurity officials.

“That's the essence of the cybersecurity issue,” she said, “individual rights versus the right of the public to know, which means you have the right to privacy versus the public's right to have transparency.”