Japanese government asked telecom firms to block extortion site in GMO data breach

Japan’s government asked telecommunications companies to block access to a website carrying purported customer information stolen from GMO Internet Group in an extortion attempt, sources close to the matter said on Oct 29.The request made by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications to industry groups representing telecom operators, including the Telecommunications Carriers Association, came amid concerns over the information spreading further.When asked at a regular news conference whether the government had made such a request, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara declined to comment on specific actions, saying the case is still ongoing.He said that relevant ministries, agencies and police authorities are working closely to take necessary measures swiftly.Blocking access to the site, which could amount to a substantive infringement of the constitutionally guaranteed secrecy of communications, was apparently deemed necessary and acceptable as an emergency measure as the risk of privacy-related information spreading became real.The website posted one person’s personal information on Oct 27 and became inaccessible the following day, although that was not believed to have resulted from the blocking request.GMO said on Oct 28 that the site became inaccessible following measures taken in cooperation with related parties.The hacker believed to be behind a recently confirmed unauthorised access to GMO’s foreign exchange trading service had warned in an online statement on Oct 27 that the personal data of more customers would be released daily.Forced blocking has recently drawn attention in Japan amid debates over whether it should be used against illegal overseas online casino websites. KYODO NEWS