In this Sept. 25, 2018 photo, Mainframe Operator Will Muldoon lifts 500 freshly printed Permanent Fund Dividend checks from the printer at the state’s secure printing facility in Juneau. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

In this Sept. 25, 2018 photo, Mainframe Operator Will Muldoon lifts 500 freshly printed Permanent Fund Dividend checks from the printer at the state’s secure printing facility in Juneau. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Security concerns prompt closing of dividend applications

Information of other users popped up on applicants’ computer screens.

ANCHORAGE — Alaska revenue officials shut down online applications for annual oil wealth checks after personal information of other users popped up on applicants’ computer screens.

The private information from other applicants included names, addresses and Social Security numbers.

The Alaska Department of Revenue shut down the application process Tuesday, the day it opened for 2019 checks. Revenue Commissioner Bruce Tangeman said Wednesday he is apologizing for the problem every chance he gets.

[Dunleavy’s promises on dividend, crime will be watched]

“The permanent fund dividend is a big deal in Alaska,” he said. “It means a lot to people, and we are very sorry that we’re going through this right now and putting them through this right now.”

The Alaska Permanent Fund was created by a vote of residents in 1976 when a flood of money for state coffers from oil development was on the horizon. The goal was a fund that would be out of reach for day-to-day government spending that would generate income in future years, according to the fund website.

State leaders also wanted to share oil wealth with Alaskans. The first dividends, paid from a portion of fund earnings, were paid out in 1982 and have been distributed annually ever since.

[What does the Permanent Fund have to do with climate change? This group will tell you]

The first checks were for $1,000. The smallest checks were $331.29 in 1984. They peaked in 2015 at $2,072. The 2018 dividend was $1,600.

Alaskans must reapply every year, and the process opens Jan. 1.

“A lot of people get on there as soon as it’s available,” Tangeman said. “They like to try to be the first ones in to apply.”

As some Alaskans tried to apply Tuesday, the information boxes on their screens filled with data from previous applicants. It has not been determined whether the system experienced a glitch or a hack, and Tangeman did not want to speculate.

“We want to establish what the problem is. Then we’re going to fix the problem. Then we’re going to do a very deep dive on the security side to make sure it is secure before we put it back up on the website,” he said.

An online counter indicated that fewer than 100 people had applied for dividends when the system was shut down, he said. He is hoping the system will be back on line in a few days.

” It’s all hands on deck, 24-7, getting to the root cause of the problem, fixing it and then making sure the security is in place,” Tangeman said.


• This is an Associated Press report by Dan Joling.


More in Home

U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral Megan Dean shakes hands with the new Arctic District commander Rear Admiral Bob Little on Friday. Vice Admiral Andrew J. Tiongson, commander of the Pacific Area, smiles. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire)
US Coast Guard receives new commander, new name for Alaska

The Arctic District’s new icebreaker will visit Juneau next month

Eaglecrest Ski Area. (Ben Hohenstatt | Juneau Empire File)
Hiker rescued from gully at Eaglecrest

The woman got stuck in a gully after taking a wrong turn

The Dimond Courthouse in Juneau, Alaska, is seen in this undated photo. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire file)
Juneau man pleads guilty to murder of infant

James White pleaded guilty yesterday to the murder of 5-and-half-week-old Kathy White

The Mendenhall River roars more than 13 feet above normal levels in August 2023. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Suicide Basin predicted to fill by Aug. 8

The change in the prediction of when the basin will fill was based on heavy rain last week

City and Borough of Juneau City Hall is photographed on July 12, 2025, in Juneau, Alaska. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Juneau Empire file)
Municipal election candidate filing period opens July 18

The filing period runs from July 18 at 8 a.m. to July 28 at 4:30 p.m.

Danial Roberts, an employee at Viking Lumber Company, looks out at lumber from a forklift in Klawock, Alaska. (Courtesy of Viking Lumber Company)
Threads of the Tongass: The future of pianos and the timber industry

Timber operators say they are in crisis and unique knowledge, products will be lost

Alaska Seaplane pilot Vance Tilley stands in front of the Piatus PC-12 in Klawock on June 23 during the inaugural trip of the new service between Juneau, Ketchikan and Klawock. (Photos by Gemini Waltz Media/courtesy Alaska Seaplane)
New Juneau-Ketchikan nonstop flight service launches

The flight leaves Juneau at 3:45 p.m., and the trip lasts 1 hour 25 minutes

Suicide Basin as of 10:01 a.m. on Thursday, July 10, 2025, taken by a U.S. Geological Survey camera at the basin entrance facing northeast, into the basin. (Screenshot from National Weather Service Juneau page)
Glacial lake outburst swells Salmon River near Hyder

The isolation of Salmon River limits the impact of flooding

Most Read