First they came for the Climate Scientists – with bullying, threats of physical and financial harm, even prison. Their emails were hacked, and their reputations dragged in the media.
But I didn’t care because I was not a Climate Scientist.
Then the Farmers who wanted wind turbines or solar panels came under attack.
We found out that the same guys who were attacking the scientists were training people to attack the farmers.
But I didn’t care, because I wasn’t a Farmer.
Then, the Environmentalists started being hacked, and their emails disseminated.
Wait a minute, they did that to the Scientists, too.
Then, they came for the undocumented workers….
The FBI has been investigating a longtime Exxon Mobil consultant over the contractor’s alleged role in a hack-and-leak operation that targeted hundreds of the oil company’s biggest critics, according to three people familiar with the matter.
The operation involved mercenary hackers who successfully breached the email accounts of environmental activists and others, the sources told Reuters.
The scheme allegedly began in late 2015, when U.S. authorities contend that the names of the hacking targets were compiled by the DCI Group, a public affairs and lobbying company working for Exxon at the time, one of the sources said. DCI provided the names to an Israeli private detective, who then outsourced the hacking, according to the source.
In an effort to push a narrative that Exxon was the target of a political vendetta aimed at destroying its business, some of the stolen material was subsequently leaked to the media by DCI, Reuters determined. The Federal Bureau of Investigation found that DCI shared the information with Exxon before leaking it, the source said.
Some environmental activists interviewed by Reuters say the hacking operation disrupted preparations for lawsuits by cities and state attorneys general against Exxon and other energy companies. Those lawsuits were modeled on litigation against the tobacco industry in the mid-1990s, which resulted in a watershed settlement and sweeping restrictions, opens new tab on cigarette sales.
The stolen material continues to be used today to counter litigation claiming the oil giant misled the public and its investors about the risks of climate change. As recently as April, an industry trade group that has received funding from Exxon cited one of the hacked documents
, opens new tab – an internal memo sketching out the proposed litigation strategy of the environmentalists – in an effort to get the Supreme Court to quash a lawsuit filed by the city of Honolulu against Exxon and other energy companies. The case is pending.
The group, the National Association of Manufacturers, said it was not aware of the allegation the material had been hacked “and will consider whether to stop using it in future briefs.”
Exxon and DCI parted ways around 2020, according to two people familiar with the matter.
In a statement, Exxon said it “has not been involved in or aware of any hacking activities,” calling allegations to the contrary “conspiracy theories.” Reuters could not determine whether Exxon itself has also been the subject of the FBI investigation.
It seems inevitable that things can only get worse under the Orange felon.