Personal information of thousands of students at the U of M has been leaked, according to a spreadsheet obtained and reviewed by the Manitoban. University of Manitoba Students’ Union (UMSU) president Divya Sharma indicated that the UMSU executive was made aware of the privacy incident on Feb. 14 at 9 a.m.

The data was accidently sent to 30 candidates running in the upcoming UMSU general election on Feb. 12, according to Sharma. An Excel sheet entitled “UMSU MEMBERS 1.28.2025” listed 24,404 students’ full names, ID numbers, faculty names and university email addresses.

Sharma clarified that the personal information pertained to members of the students’ union.

“No financial personal information was included,” she said in a statement. “While the risk associated with this type of data is lower, we understand the importance of protecting personal information and deeply regret any concern this has caused.”

“The parties who were sent the email were subject to a recall of the email using Microsoft technology and were instructed to immediately delete the email and the file,” she stated. “[We] are reviewing our policies with our legal team to strengthen our data protection practices and prevent future occurrences.”

Sharma advised affected individuals to remain vigilant for possible phishing attempts from anyone impersonating UMSU.

The UMSU chief returning officer was reached for comment on this matter but has not yet provided a response.

“We take privacy seriously and remain committed to ensuring the integrity of our elections and the security of our members’ information,” said Sharma.

Sharma advised anyone with concerns or questions to contact her at pres@umsu.ca.

14/02/2025: The article has been updated to state “faculty names“ over “faculty information“ for clarity.