Comment by kuschku | Hacker News Reader

Comment by kuschku | Hacker News Reader

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I've read through the files, and so far all there is are private phone numbers, addresses, social security numbers (well, the German equivalent, Rentenversicherungsnummern), bank data, etc of these people.

They basically just doxxed them, put up photos, names, account info of famous people, politicians and their families (at one point publishing photos and personal data of the little children of the host of a German late night show), and for a handful of them also published their entire iCloud content as well as all messages they ever sent/received on social media.

There's nothing fishy in there, just a very unethical and bad hack. Especially considering the hack only targeted left-wing people[1] a political motivation isn't be out of the question.

Footnotes:

[1] The hack targeted all parties that were at the time in parliament, but also many private people such as musicians, artists, TV hosts, etc. All of these people were politically left-leaning.

> Especially considering the hack only targeted left-wing people

1) not true, FDP and CDU are certainly not left-wing

2) even if it were true, would it be more ethical to hack right-wingers?

The current speculation indicates no political leaning whatsoever (apart from one password of one leak for one socialist politician was "linkenshit" which could be either neutral, positive or negative).

Considering the age of the leaked data, it is speculated that during the time of gathering data, the AfD was not part of the targeted parliaments.

> 2) even if it were true, would it be more ethical to hack right-wingers?

I guess the thinking is "it's targeted against one side, so probably look at the other to find the perp". Would be just as true with hacked right-wingers.

(and the corollary: "it's a flag-flag operation by the very same side, so look there", which also comes up no matter what side is affected)

> 1) not true, FDP and CDU are certainly not left-wing

As mentioned in the footnote, I was referring to the individuals hacked, not the parties. In addition to the political parties, the hack also targeted youtubers, artists, musicians, etc.

These include Christian Ehring, Jan Böhmermann, Oliver Welke (all hosts of left-leaning late night or satire shows), Marteria, Casper, K.I.Z. (left-leaning rappers/music groups, or in case of K.I.Z. even explicitly anti-capitalist), and several YouTubers.

Additionally, the twitter account doing the hacks has mocked Böhmermann's Reconquista Internet explicitly.

I get the better way to say it, they targetted everyone who wasn't far-right AFD and celebs that are left wing. The base point seems to remain the same.

> 2) even if it were true, would it be more ethical to hack right-wingers?

The problem is that any side was targeted.

I wouldn't call CDU left wing. They appear to have spared the "most right" party in parliament (AfD), tho.

Data seems to be from before the AFD was member of the parliament. This doesn’t exclude a political motive, but offers a non-political explanation as well.

Data is as fresh as early 2018 - I read in the German press - which means well after AfD became a player.

The political parties are a different question, I was mostly referring to the private people that were hacked.

In addition to hacking the systems of political parties, they also hacked many left-wing musicians, artists, TV hosts of late night shows, etc.

I've clarified my original post with a footnote.

Indeed, the Wikipedia page describes them as center-right.

European center-right, it would be very different on the American spectrum

You can't position parties in a one-dimensional spectrum. At least two dimensions (economic freedom and personal freedom) are necessary. (You know, the age-old https://fee.org/media/9818/20131203_fulmer1a.png)

True "classical liberals" might as well be nonexistent for all the power they have in modern politics. Even pols who identify as "classical liberals" mostly just end up voting with one of their country's (economically + socially) right-wing parties anyway.

I just used that image as an example, I don't agree with the denominations used.

Well, I have to give you that.

But here in Germany, CDU was always considered "right".

For example, CDU/CSU politicians didn't want gay people to call what they have a "marriage". Merkel said so back in 2017, and eventually voted against the law together with more than 2/3rds of her party; the law passed anyway with the votes of the CDU's coalition partner SPD and the opposition parties. So there are some commonalities with the US right wing politicians and their policies, after all.

But keep in mind that CDU is Angela Merkel's party. She is probably the hate figure of the far-right in Germany.

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