By Hunter Walker 1/25 2:43pm

Hack Attack

Mr. Lopez's Twitter account after the hacking. (photo: Twitter)

Twitter Hacker Takes on Embattled Assemblyman Vito Lopez

Assemblyman Vito Lopez has a new problem on his hands to go along with the ethics committee that is investigating him for sexual harassment complaints filed by four female former staffers. Some time this afternoon a hacker gained control of Mr. Lopez’s Twitter account and began posting a series of messages insulting the embattled politician and praising one of his rivals.

“We’re trying to figure this out,” a staffer in Mr. Lopez’s district office said when Politicker called them to ask about the hacker a few moments ago. Read More

By Hunter Walker 9/24/12 1:09pm

Law & Order

A still from the Occupy Wall Street raid video released by someone claiming to be affiliated with Anonymous. (Photo: YouTube)

NYPD Says Anonymous’ Occupy Raid Footage Was Not Leaked From the Department

On Sunday, someone claiming to be affiliated with the hacker activist group Anonymous, released a two minute clip containing footage of last November’s eviction of the Occupy Wall Street encampment in Zuccotti Park that they said was obtained from the NYPD’s Technical Assistance Response Unit. While the clip has widely been covered as having been “leaked” from the police, NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Public Information Paul Browne told Politicker the clip was ‘not ‘leaked” and may have been a combination of footage from television news cameras, public court records and even possibly from the occupiers themselves. Read More

By Hunter Walker 2:14pm

SOPA Opera

Senator Chuck Grassley (Photo: Twitter)

Senator Chuck Grassley Hacked On Twitter (Update)

Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley withdrew his support for the controversial Protect I.P. Act, better known as PIPA, last Wednesday, but that didn’t stop an angry PIPA opponent from hacking into his Twitter account today. As of this writing, over 20 Tweets have been sent from Senator Grassley’s account this afternoon that appear to be the work of a hacker.

“Yes I was hacked,” one of the Tweets said.

A few of the Tweets posted on Senator Grassley’s account indicate the hacker is upset over the senator’s initial support for PIPA, a bill designed to protect intellectual property and curb piracy that has drawn the ire of internet users.

“Chuck is a supporter of SOPA, PIPA, and ACTA, meaning he wants no privacy for private accounts,” read another one of the Tweets. Read More