In brief
Japanese authorities asked telecom firms to block a website that released stolen data from GMO Internet Group as part of an extortion scheme. The move follows the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications’ effort to stop the spread of personal information and cites privacy concerns. The blocking is an emergency measure while investigators pursue the source of the breach.
Japanese government ordered telecom operators to block an extortion website that distributed stolen customer data from GMO Internet Group, a move that began after an attacker threatened to release more personal information.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications asked industry groups representing telecoms, including the Telecommunications Carriers Association, to prevent access to the site amid fears that privacy‑violating data could spread further.
Kyodo reports that the site posted the personal information of one customer on Tuesday and was made inaccessible the following day, a step that authorities say was part of a wider effort to stop the leak.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara declined to confirm the request at a regular news conference but said the case is still ongoing and that ministries, agencies and police are working together to take swift action.
GMO Internet Group said the website became inaccessible after measures taken in cooperation with related parties, but the company noted that it had not been able to prevent the data from being posted at first.
Officials described the blocking as an emergency measure, noting it could amount to an infringement of constitutionally guaranteed secrecy of communications. They judged it necessary to limit potential privacy violations while investigations continue.
The incident follows a recent unauthorized access to GMO’s foreign exchange trading service, which the hacker claimed would release more personal data daily in an online statement.
Japan’s use of forced blocking has raised broader questions about the limits of such measures, especially as they have been considered for tackling illegal overseas online casino sites.
