In retaliation for the arrest of protesters who tried to close their Citibank accounts, hackers sympathetic to the Occupy Wall Street movement have released personal information about Citigroup Chief Executive Officer Vikram Pandit.
Data, including cell and office phone numbers, an email address, two home addresses, legal and financial information and information about Pandit’s family, were all posted online by members of a hacker group known as CabinCr3w. The group affiliates itself with the loose-knit group Anonymous, which has a long history of high-profile hacks and data leaks.
Anonymous members played a key role in promoting the original Occupy Wall Street protest, which began on September 17. A month later, the Occupy movement has spread to more than 900 cities around the world, primarily through the use of Twitter and other social media and Internet properties.
“During Occupy Wall street, protesters had made way to CitiBank to withdraw their funds and close their accounts,” wrote CabinCr3w on their Tumblr blog. “They were met with strong police prescence [sic] and arrested. We as american citizens MUST have full control over our money and lively hood. When this is taken away from us, what else do we have? So the CEO of CitiBank has blindly jumped into the sights of the CabinCr3w…”
This weekend, a small group of Occupy Wall Street protesters moved their fight to a Citibank in downtown Manhattan, where they attempted to close their bank accounts as an act of protest. According to the Wall Street Journal, 24 people in the group were arrested for criminal trespassing after they refused to leave the Citibank branch.
“A large amount of protesters entered our branch at 555 La Guardia Place around 2:00 PM today,” said Citigroup in a prepared statement. “They were very disruptive and refused to leave after being repeatedly asked, causing our staff to call 911. The Police asked the branch staff to close the branch until the protesters could be removed. Only one person asked to close an account and was accommodated.”
Last week, Pandit said he would be happy to meet with Occupy Wall Street protesters, who blame the financial sector for the bad economy, and oppose its influence on US politics, reports Businessweek. He said their complaints are “completely understandable.”
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