The media in Latvia has hailed an alleged hacker as a latter-day Robin Hood for leaking finance data of banks and state-owned firms to Latvian TV. Using the alias Neo—a reference to the Matrix films—the hacker claims he wants to expose those cashing in on the recession in Latvia. He is slowly passing details of leading Latvian firms via Twitter to the state-owned TV station and has its audiences hooked.
But the Latvian government is not impressed. The country’s police are investigating the security breach and have threatened to arrest the Robin Hood.
That might be a messy diplomatic affair because the hacker is believed to be living in the UK.
Data leaked so far includes pay details of managers from a Latvian bank that received a bailout. It reveals that many did not take the salary cuts they promised.
Other data show that state-owned companies secretly awarded bonuses, while publicly asking the government for help. Latvia is currently in the middle of its worst economic crisis since it broke free from the Soviet Union in 1991.
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