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List of Sky Broadband users exposed as ACS:Law saga continues

by Sarah Griffiths on 29 September 2010, 12:20

Tags: General Business

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Episode 3

Personal details of thousands more people have popped up on the web following the hacking of ACS:Law's website, provoking a massive outcry and cold shoulders from ISPs.

Meanwhile, the founders of The Pirate Bay website, where the details were posted by 4chan, are in court again in a last-ditch attempt to dodge a stay inside.

A list of over 8,000 Sky Broadband subscribers has found its way into the public domain, plus another list of 400 Plusnet subscribers, adding to personal details of 5,000 alleged porn downloaders that were leaked yesterday, the BBC reported.

ACS:Law, which hunts down people thought to have downloaded or shared copyright material illegally could face a fine of up to half a million pounds for the breaches if the Information Commissioner decides it did not do enough to keen the information safe.

The two new lists, put together by the law firm reportedly include the names, addresses and IP addresses of people suspected of sharing music illegally and also contain how much some people coughed up when ACS:Law came knocking.

The BBC said it has also seen emails containing credit card details of people who paid compensation, while it believes information about those who refused to pay up and protested their innocence have also been leaked.

And it is not just members of the public that the law firm has annoyed. The company's owner, Andrew Crossley has hacked off some important business contacts too. 

Sky has stopped co-operating with ACS:Law after its customers' details were splashed over the web, according to a statement.

A spokesperson for the firm said: "We have suspended all co-operation with ACS:Law with immediate effect. This suspension will remain in place until ACS:Law demonstrates adequate measures to protect the security of personal information."

"Like other broadband providers, Sky can be required to disclose information about customers whose accounts are alleged to have been used for illegal downloading. We support the principle that copyright material should be protected and we co-operate with court orders requiring disclosure."

However, Sky emphasised it also sees the security of its customers' private information as a ‘high priority' and it handed it over in an encrypted form. "We have an agreement with ACS:Law that requires data to be stored and used safely and securely," it added.

PlusNet, which had about 400 of its customers' details exposed in the law firm's attack, told The Guardian it is all for making the way companies collect info about media sharing suspects more transparent.

In another blow to Crossley, it has also vowed not to cooperate any more with ACS:Law. It told the newspaper: "Due to serious concerns about the integrity of the processes used to obtain and store private customer information we are suspending with immediate effect the supply of any further customer data to ACS:Law until we are satisfied that weaknesses in these procedures have been addressed."