Gap Says Job-Applicant Data Stolen

San Francisco, Gap Inc. said Friday a laptop containing personal information of about 800,000 job applicants, including Social Security numbers, was stolen from a vendor's office, according to the Associated Press.

The stolen laptop contained personal data for people who applied online or by phone for jobs at Old Navy, Banana Republic, Gap and Outlet stores between July 2006 and June 2007 in the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada. The computer did not contain Canadian applicants' Social Insurance numbers, the report said.

The vendor, which a Gap spokeswoman declined to identify, failed to encrypt the personal data, though that was part of Gap's agreement with it.

Gap said it has no reason to believe the applicants' data were the target of the theft or that the information has been accessed or used improperly. Since the company uses more than one vendor to manage job-applicant data, not all of those who applied for work during the time frame are affected, according to the report.