E3 organization leaks data for over 2,000 journalists and analysts

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Monkey Man
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PostE3 organization leaks data for over 2,000 journalists and analysts
by Monkey Man » Sat Aug 03, 2019 8:50 am

If you attended the Electronic Entertainment Expo trade show this year with a media badge, it’s possible that some of your sensitive data is now public. Each year, the Entertainment Software Association hands out hundreds of “press badges” to certain members of the press. To get one of these badges, I have given the organization my name, phone number, home address, and more each year for the last half-decade. That info goes onto a spreadsheet that the ESA hands out to its member companies. This makes it easier for those companies to invite press to E3 events and meetings.

Up until yesterday, however, that list was accessible to anyone who clicked on the right button on the ESA’s website, as first spotted by YouTube creator Sophia Narwitz. Since then The ESA has removed the spreadsheet from its site. But it did not do that before other people were able to download it. At this point, it’s impossible to tell who has the list.

This failure to adequately secure sensitive data doesn’t just expose games journalists. I’ve confirmed with someone who has access to the list (with the ESA’s permission) that it contains info for YouTube creators, Wall Street financial analysts at firms like Wedbush and Goldman Sachs, and Tencent employees.

https://venturebeat.com/2019/08/02/e3-d ... ssion=true

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OrangeRKN
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PostRe: E3 organization leaks data for over 2,000 journalists and analysts
by OrangeRKN » Sat Aug 03, 2019 11:48 am

Not sure on US law, but that should be a hefty fine. Security like this should be obvious.

Sounds like it wasn't ethically disclosed by that youtuber either.

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PostRe: E3 organization leaks data for over 2,000 journalists and analysts
by Mafro » Sat Aug 03, 2019 12:00 pm

OrangeRKN wrote:Sounds like it wasn't ethically disclosed by that youtuber either.

It's basically an alt-right YouTuber so I'm not shocked.

I'm sure all the gamergate dickheads will have a field day with this.

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PostRe: E3 organization leaks data for over 2,000 journalists and analysts
by Garth » Sat Aug 03, 2019 12:03 pm

Knowing the gaming community, I'd be pretty worried about this.

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PostRe: E3 organization leaks data for over 2,000 journalists and analysts
by Tafdolphin » Sat Aug 03, 2019 12:42 pm

Kirk McKeand of PCGamesN has already posted about how his wife is scared shitless and wants to move house but they can't afford to. Over recent months a number of alt-right youtubers have targeted him repeatedly for articles expressing mildly progressive views.

Scary indeed.

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PostRe: E3 organization leaks data for over 2,000 journalists and analysts
by Venom » Sun Aug 04, 2019 1:16 am

This wasn’t a hack, the ESA had the data available on their website where anyone could download it, they’re the ones who are legally responsible for keeping it private.

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Peter Crisp
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PostRe: E3 organization leaks data for over 2,000 journalists and analysts
by Peter Crisp » Sun Aug 04, 2019 1:29 am

Tafdolphin wrote:Kirk McKeand of PCGamesN has already posted about how his wife is scared shitless and wants to move house but they can't afford to. Over recent months a number of alt-right youtubers have targeted him repeatedly for articles expressing mildly progressive views.

Scary indeed.


It's pretty sad that some people are so scared by different political opinions that they're willing to threaten people for the simple act of discussing views they don't like. It's particularly prevalent when US conservatives claim everything that isn't 100% how they want it socialism that will somehow always end up in disaster.

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Errkal
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PostRe: E3 organization leaks data for over 2,000 journalists and analysts
by Errkal » Sun Aug 04, 2019 6:50 am

OrangeRKN wrote:Not sure on US law, but that should be a hefty fine. Security like this should be obvious.

Sounds like it wasn't ethically disclosed by that youtuber either.


Pretty sure if any of the people are EU residents it doesn’t matter what US law says and GDPR protects the person and so they have to comply.

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PostRe: E3 organization leaks data for over 2,000 journalists and analysts
by KK » Sun Aug 04, 2019 9:16 am

This feels like more of a non story for US-based journalists as their details would have already been online due to the prevalence of people search engines and phone books, which in turn source their information from public records. For Europeans and others however this is a complete failure of privacy.

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PostRe: E3 organization leaks data for over 2,000 journalists and analysts
by Mafro » Sun Aug 04, 2019 9:31 am

A bunch of shitty gamergaters having a collection of journalist's home addresses and phone numbers in one handy document is a non-story?

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KK
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PostRe: E3 organization leaks data for over 2,000 journalists and analysts
by KK » Sun Aug 04, 2019 9:38 am

In the US nothing was stopping them getting these details from running names through a people search engine. Having it in one document saves a lot of time but apart from that it hasn’t revealed anything not already there if Gamergaters (or whoever) wanted to do something already.

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PostRe: E3 organization leaks data for over 2,000 journalists and analysts
by Moggy » Sun Aug 04, 2019 10:38 am

“Yes I wrote your name and phone number on the wall of a public toilet, but it’s fine because you’re in the phone book”

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Mafro
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PostRe: E3 organization leaks data for over 2,000 journalists and analysts
by Mafro » Sun Aug 04, 2019 10:49 am

:lol:

If it was that easy then why are so many journalists on Twitter freaking out about it and the potential of being doxxed or swatted? The list was accidentally made publicly available and was basically signal boosted by an alt-right journalist under the guise of breaking a story to her audience of gamergater dickheads. Calling it a non-story is ridiculous.

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PostRe: E3 organization leaks data for over 2,000 journalists and analysts
by KK » Sun Aug 04, 2019 10:55 am

Many people, as clearly being evidenced in this thread, are probably very unfamiliar with the accessibility of public data in America. These aren't even remotely similar to the phone books you're probably thinking of. I don't know of any UK or European website or government agency database that lists your home addresses, phone numbers, email, tax, criminal records, family relations and countless other details for public access like they do in the USA. Nothing from the ESA has been put into the public domain that wasn't already there for US citizens, who will have access to Whitepages and many more.

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PostRe: E3 organization leaks data for over 2,000 journalists and analysts
by Mafro » Sun Aug 04, 2019 11:09 am

Still doesn’t explain the reactions from the journalists after their data was leaked though if it was already so easily available.

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PostRe: E3 organization leaks data for over 2,000 journalists and analysts
by KK » Sun Aug 04, 2019 11:38 am

I'd be surprised, but maybe they're unfamiliar with these services or what the government at state level makes available on their own county websites. Regular journalists in the US have made use of them for years as it can give you background details on somebody incredibly fast. They've been promoted and discussed by all the major news organisations as well:

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Sites such as pipl will also round up their social media accounts. I'm sure they're being used right now to get information on the suspects in the US shootings. They're basically a publically accessible police database. It's a bit like how Americans can also listen in to police radio transmissions.

If I was in the US I would have freaked out long before this incident, as I'm sure many people would consider it an outrageous invasion of privacy. It's just another bemusing aspect of American privacy laws.

The ESA have absolutely failed attendees outside the US, but from what I can see all this has done for those in America is made what is already out there into an easily perusable document and now made Gamergaters aware of people they maybe weren't already familiar with.

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PostRe: E3 organization leaks data for over 2,000 journalists and analysts
by Tafdolphin » Sun Aug 04, 2019 2:31 pm

So I just had a look at Whitepages and Spokeo and almost immediately had the home address and close family details of a prominent games journo, including a picture of him and his daughter (blurred out). For $0.95 I could have gotten the blur removed and his entire location record for years.

That's...strawberry floating insane.

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Peter Crisp
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PostRe: E3 organization leaks data for over 2,000 journalists and analysts
by Peter Crisp » Sun Aug 04, 2019 2:45 pm

Tafdolphin wrote:So I just had a look at Whitepages and Spokeo and almost immediately had the home address and close family details of a prominent games journo, including a picture of him and his daughter (blurred out). For $0.95 I could have gotten the blur removed and his entire location record for years.

That's...strawberry floating insane.


That does seem rather worrisome.
It sure makes being a stalker an easy job.

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