(Mexico City) A cybersecurity expert denounced Friday in Mexico the leak of personal information on more than 300 journalists apparently coming from a presidential database, causing concern among defenders of press freedom.
These journalists are accredited to the presidency and attended the daily press conference of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Victor Ruiz, founder of the cybersecurity company Silikn, said on X.
In one of the files appear “the address and full name of the people”, he detailed to AFP.
The list was found on a “forum” where hackers sell anonymously published databases. But in the case of journalists, the data was freely accessible.
“It seems that it is a presidential database,” he said, admitting that he was not completely sure. “The presidency was informed, but it seems that it gave no response.”
On the networks, the beginning of an alphabetical list of last names (from A to C) was published, with the first names. Surnames are obscured after the first two letters.
AFP was able to identify four of its journalists who were accredited to the presidency in 2021.
The freedom of expression organization Article 19 informed X that it had “corroborated with several sources the dissemination of journalists’ personal data on an online forum”.
“Mexico being one of the deadliest countries for the press, with 163 journalists murdered and 32 missing, the flight not only endangers their dignity and privacy, but also their physical security,” added the NGO.
The National Institute for Access to Information (INAI) announced an investigation into an alleged leak, mentioning a law on the protection of personal data.
The presidency must “inform if its data systems have been hacked and take urgent security measures to protect the personal data of journalists,” independent senator Emilio Alvarez wrote on X.
Contacted by AFP, the presidency has not yet reacted.