Activists Hack Fort Worth City Systems In Retaliation for Banning Sex Changes in Minors
In a wild act of digital defiance, a group of hackers targeted the city systems of Fort Worth, Texas this past weekend. The cyber attack appears to be a response to the state’s controversial laws restricting minors from undergoing irreversible transgender-related procedures and treatments.
The hacker collective, known as SiegedSec, proudly claimed responsibility for the incursion, according to the Daily Mail. The cryptic message left by the hackers for Fort Worth officials sharply criticized the U.S. government and Texas’ controversial ban on transgender surgeries for minors, declaring on Facebook:
Despite the alarming nature of the data breach, officials report that no confidential information was exposed in the hack and was comparable to information that could be obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request. Interestingly, the group behind the Fort Worth hack has not demanded a ransom, despite their Facebook announcement. IT solutions director for Fort Worth, Kevin Gunn reflected:
“Other than what they’ve stated in their posting, their motivation for downloading this information and posting it on the internet…their posting eludes to basically embarrassing the city of Fort Worth and making a political statement, so that’s all I can really gather and surmise about what their motivation is.”
Earlier this month, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signed into law a controversial bill. This law forbids irreversible and potentially harmful procedures and treatments for transgender minors. The law is slated to take effect on Sept. 1, making Texas the 17th state to impose such bans on surgeries and therapies for those under 18 years old.
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