Hackers Release AAPT Data To Protest Aussie Policies

An anonymous reader writes "Anonymous is releasing some of the 40GB of data it claims to have stolen from Australian internet service provider AAPT. The hack is reportedly in protest against Australia's proposed data retention regime, which would mandate ISPs to collect and hold transmission data from its users for up to two years."

Comments

Not sure this is the best idea

[tiggertaebo]

I'm really not a fan of ISPs doing mass data retention but I'm not sure that going around endangering customers privacy is the best way of getting ISPs to respect people's privacy.

The problem really is that Anonymous only really has two tools at it's disposal for dealing with people and organisations they don't like - data grab 'n' release and DoS. And you know what they say about when the only thing you've got is a hammer everything starts to look like a nail...

Re:Not sure this is the best idea

[Anonymous Coward]

This is exactly the way to do so.
Even if you think the government can do no wrong
Even if you think businesses would do nothing to risk pissing off their customers
Collecting everyone's data and retaining it is a huge liability, and criminals will always have access to it.

"So criminals stole 2 years worth of private customer data?"
"Yes! Track them down!"
"And what were you doing storing all that data in the first place, which is no good to anyone other than criminals?"

Way to go guys! What an achievement!!

[xQx]

Anonymous is releasing some "historic" data files with "limited personal customer information" that came from a web server of an outsourced company hosting the website for Australia's third or fourth largest ISP ... in protest against the Australian Government's data retention policies?

Now AFIK AAPT hasn't exactly been an advocate of the government's policies... nor are they a particularly prominent ISP now they've sold their residential customer base to iiNet - It's not like they would have been targeted specifically. Seems to me either someone has an axe to grind, or these guys are just releasing what they've got - which isn't much.

What next? They'll release some hacked data found from old hard drives stolen from the IT firm that ran the computers of the marketing company that the Howard government used when they were introducing the GST in protest for ... umm... the mistreatment of wikileaks founder Julian Assange by the current government.

Seriously, this is supposed to be an elite group of hackers.... Is this the best they can do?

Re:Way to go guys! What an achievement!!

[LordLucless]

Anonymous is releasing some "historic" data files with "limited personal customer information" that came from a web server of an outsourced company hosting the website for Australia's third or fourth largest ISP ... in protest against the Australian Government's data retention policies?

While I'll be the first to say that Anonymous' actions are frequently useless and counter-productive, this particular one isn't. It's a perfect example of (one of the reasons) why these data retention laws suck. The people required to retain them will not secure them properly, as Anonymous just demonstrated. Reassurances that only authorized people will be able to access them are lies.

...or these guys are just releasing what they've got - which isn't much...

Probably. But that's the point. They're releasing data that the ISPs should have protected, and didn't.

Seriously, this is supposed to be an elite group of hackers.... Is this the best they can do?

Haha, seriously? Anonymous are a group of trolls who hang out on an image board. They're might be some hackers among them, but that's not what Anonymous is known for.

If only they knew how to even use a hammer

[Viol8]

I'll get modded down for this by all the basement dwelling keyboard warriors on here but frankly I don't give a sh1t . Anonymous are a load of self righteous juvenile morons. They see an issue they have a gripe about, they jump on the bandwagon, make a mess and a lot of noise and chuck stuff off like a bunch of chimps in a bad mood, then jump off again thinking they've done some profound social service and made a grand gesture for freedom - when in actual fact all they've done is cause the bandwagon to crash into a tree.

So, releasing private customer data into the public domain because you object to a company keeping private customer data in case it falls into the wrong hands. Riiiight. If there was any logic in doing that it obviously got completely lost in the noise from all the raging teenage hormones behind the "decision" (I use that term lightly) to do it. What a complete bunch of fecking @rsewipes.

Re:few hours

[Kalriath]

It's really funny, because their ad is apparently claiming that I can take a massive pay cut in order to earn as little as Kelly Richards, who is some magic quantum lady who is in every city at once - and yet hasn't used this quantum power to rob a fucking bank yet.