What strangers can learn from your political donation

Search your name in the Federal Election Commission's contribution database or on a campaign finance site such as OpenSecrets.org.

If you have given enough to trigger federal disclosure requirements , you may be surprised by how much information can be connected to your donation.

Depending on the record, that can include your name, mailing address, employer, occupation, donation amount and the political committee that received your money.

This is not a data breach .

It is part of federal campaign finance disclosure law.

And once information about you is public, it can potentially be combined with personal details found elsewhere online.

Here's what your political donation can reveal, how that information can be used and what you can do to reduce the rest of your exposure.

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DEM FUNDRAISING GIANT MAKES DAMNING ADMISSION AS GOP PROBES FOREIGN DONATION ALLEGATIONS Federal campaigns generally must itemize an individual's contributions once that person's contributions exceed $200 in the aggregate during the applicable election cycle.

For PACs and party committees, the reporting period can be based on the calendar year.