/technology
SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) -- A hacker who identified himself as "Anonymous Coward" stole personal data of 6 million Chileans -- reportedly including a daughter of the president -- and posted it briefly on the Internet, authorities said Sunday.
"This is a serious and delicate issue," said presidential spokesman Francisco Vidal.
Police Chief Jaime Jara confirmed that authorities were investigating the theft of the leaked data, which he said included identity card numbers, addresses, telephone numbers, e-mails and academic background.
The data was taken early Friday from servers at the Education Ministry, the electoral service and the military, Jara said. It was not clear when it appeared on the Internet, but it was first reported to police early Saturday by Leo Prieto, the administrator of a local technology-oriented Internet site who discovered links to the information online.
It did not immediately appear that any banking or financial data had been compromised, and the information had been removed by Saturday morning, Jara said.
The incident was first reported Sunday by the daily newspaper El Mercurio.
Among the data was a list of students who receive preferential public transportation rates, including one of President Michelle Bachelet's two daughters, Prieto told Santiago's Radio Cooperativa.
The transportation passes include a photo and the name of the students' schools, but do not contain any other sensitive information.
Despite the information's prompt removal from the Internet, some people may have downloaded it "and it may still be around on the Internet," Prieto said.
El Mercurio reported that it had access to some of the data, including a file in which the hacker said he intended "to demonstrate how poorly protected the data in Chile is, and how nobody works to protect it."
The paper said the hacker identified himself as "Anonymous Coward."
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
All About Chile • Internet • Privacy Rights
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