Anonymous hacks Alabama government servers over immigration law
The “hacktivist” group Anonymous: immigrant rights crusaders? (Flickr, lyrion)
By JUAN GASTELUM
Channel: Immigration
The international group of self-described “hacktivists”, Anonymous, on Friday claimed responsibility for an attack on Alabama government and law enforcement computers in response to the state’s anti-illegal immigration law, HB 56, according to the local Fox News affiliate and others.
The Fox News affiliate reports:
A person with the handle of “OpPiggyBank” posted a statement taking credit for hacking the computers. It claimed to have stolen sensitive information belonging to more than 46,000 Alabama residents.
The information – obtained “because of your police being lazy when it comes to data security” – allegedly included social security numbers, license plate numbers, dates of birth and addresses.
“This was not our desire, or our goal,” the person wrote. “Your police administrators have made a terrible mistake and put the lives of tens of thousands of people in jeopardy.”
The group declared the data would be deleted. But to prove they had gotten the information, the statement showed edited examples from 500 of the names and information…
The hackers said they believed the immigration law is too politicized and would harm natural-born citizens who were from a different ethnic group.
“The authorities in the state of Alabama are now able to question people suspected of being in the country illegally and hold them, and officials are able to check the immigration status of students in public schools,” the statement read. “We will not idly stand by as this happens.”
Gov. Robert Bentley (R) signed HB 56, considered the toughest immigration crackdown law in the nation, last June. Among other things, it requires local law enforcement officers to check the immigration status of anyone they believe is in the country illegally and prohibits the government from entering into any contract with undocumented immigrants.
The U.S. Department of Justice and a coalition of immigrant advocacy groups successfully sued to block portions of HB 56 after it was signed into law, but others went into effect in January. The law prompted thousands of Latinos to leave the state and has negatively affected the state’s economy, inspiring some state lawmakers to consider a revision.
The person claiming responsibility for hacking the state’s databases for Anonymous called the law “racist legislation” attempting to “punish immigrants as criminals.”
The group, which has previously shut down the websites of Bank of America, PayPal, and the FBI, also claimed responsibility for shutting down the CIA’s website on Friday.
