300 Mexican Journalists Doxed in Mexican Government Data Breach

A cybersecurity breach has led to the release of a vast collection of sensitive files from
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Ildefonso Ortiz and Brandon Darby

Press freedom groups in Mexico sounded the alarm after more than 300 Mexican journalists who covered the country’s president had their personal information exposed in connection with a government data breach.

It remains unclear when the data breach took place.  Several journalists from various outlets in Mexico began alerting each other and sharing on social media on Friday afternoon that their personal information had been exposed. Some journalists stated on social media that such data breaches put them in danger.

As Breitbart Texas reported, several international press freedom groups have labeled Mexico as one of the deadliest places in the world for journalists.

The compromised information included copies of their voter ID card, Mexico’s main form of identification, names, addresses, phones, and other identifying information.

The information had been collected as part of the accreditation process for journalists who sought to attend the “Mananera” or daily news conferences by Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. Mexico’s president or his officials have not made any statements about the data breach. However, Mexican officials claimed that they would begin an investigation.

The international press freedom group Article 19 expressed their concern and asked Mexican authorities to take various steps to protect the journalists whose information had been breached.

Mexico’s government experienced several data breaches in the past, including the now famous Guacamayaleaks, where a group of hacktivists made public some of the deepest secrets of Mexico’s military, including ties between politicians and cartels, Breitbart Texas reported at the time.

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com. 

Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.     

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