A cybersecurity breach exposed a vast collection of classified files from more than 200 police departments and FBI offices across the United States in what is now known as “BlueLeaks.”
business insider report Hackers recently compromised the security of a Houston-based web services provider called Netsential that works with state law enforcement agencies in the United States.
The breach exposed hundreds of gigabytes of potentially sensitive files from various police departments in the United States. The leaked data is available in a searchable database and includes information that can be categorized by police officer badge number. The files, hosted by fusion centers and state agencies that facilitate information sharing between police departments, were stolen in the security breach.
Leaked files do not reveal gross police misconduct, but primarily show how police departments and the FBI monitored protests across the United States, especially after the death of George Floyd It is noteworthy that it consists of emails and internal memos.
The document includes specific details shared between police departments about the clothing, tattoos, and social media handles of individuals participating in the protests. It also revealed that law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, are actively monitoring social media accounts believed to be organizing protests.
One unclassified FBI memo to police departments, dated late May, cited specific tweets expressing concern about the safety of “law enforcement supporters.” Other internal memos included in the leak show police exchanging information about specific clothing, signs and vehicles of protesters considered potential threats.
In some cases, police arrested people after tracking them using photos taken at protests.
This data dump, called BlueLeaks, was published by a collective known as DDoSecrets, and many have compared it to WikiLeaks in terms of its scope and nature. DDoSecrets claimed it was not involved in the actual data breach, saying it will act as a publisher of leaked information while maintaining the anonymity of the hackers involved.
However, since sharing this information on Twitter (now known as X), the account appears to have been suspended.
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Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News, covering free speech and online censorship issues.
