Albanian officials said Thursday they had launched an investigation into a mass personal data leak, with victims including the president and prime minister according to an AFP reporter who saw their data.

Prime Minister Edi Rama and President Ilir Meta were among those whose private information started to appear on WhatsApp and other digital platforms on Wednesday, the AFP correspondent said.

The leaked data included ID numbers, employer names, monthly wages and telephone numbers, the reporter saw.

Local media estimated almost 700,000 people including public servants, army and intelligence personnel, bank employees and journalists had been affected.

"The prosecutors have opened investigations," the prosecuting authority in the capital Tirana said in a statement.

Local media said police had seized servers from several locations, including the taxation authority and the national social insurance offices.

The prime minister said the information had been leaked "by inside individuals with access to... databases".

At a press conference Thursday, Rama apologised to all "those who were unfairly harmed" and promised a thorough investigation.

"The goal was... to provoke confusion and harm stability," he said.

It is the second such large leak of personal data this year in the Balkan country, after another in April, just days before the parliamentary election.

No one has yet been held accountable for that incident.

bme/ljv/ah/gw

Meta

Related Links
Cyberwar - Internet Security News - Systems and Policy Issues

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

China 'livestream queen' accounts disappear after record fine
Beijing (AFP) Dec 21, 2021
The social media accounts of an influencer known as China's 'livestreaming queen' disappeared on Tuesday, after she was ordered to pay a record $200 million fine for tax evasion. Huang Wei, known by her username Viya, is one of China's most prominent livestreamers in an e-commerce sector that has accelerated its rapid growth despite the coronavirus pandemic that took hold last year. Boasting over 110 million followers on social media Viya reportedly sold products worth a total of 8.5 billion yua ... read more