Thief steals UC-Berkeley laptop
Computer contained information on 98,000 individuals
(CNN) -- University of California-Berkeley police are investigating the theft of a campus laptop computer containing information on 98,000 individuals.
The university said a person who walked into its Graduate Division offices on March 11 was seen leaving with the laptop by a campus employee, who reported the theft to campus police.
The computer contained information on most individuals who applied to or attended UC-Berkeley's graduate school between 1976 and 2004.
About a third of the computer's files contained dates of birth and or addresses as well as Social Security numbers and names.
UC-Berkeley says it has no evidence that personal data were actually retrieved or misused.
In accordance with California state law, the university said it is making "every reasonable effort" to notify the 98,369 individuals whose names and Social Security numbers were on the computer
UC-Berkeley has set up a Web site at newscenter.berkeley.edu/security/grad/ for those concerned that their information may have been on the stolen computer.
