FBI investigating Verizon’s lobbying firm over hacking activists’ emails

Reuters is reporting that the FBI has been investigating DCI Group, a DC based lobbying and public relations firm, for its role in allegedly hiring hackers to attempt to break into activists’ emails to benefit corporate clients. 

The Reuters report focuses on environmental activists who appear to have been targeted at the behest of ExxonMobil, one of DCI Group’s largest clients. But one of DCI Group’s other highest-paying clients is Verizon, and the same hacker-for-hire ring implicated in the investigation was caught red-handed targeting Fight for the Future and other activists who helped win net neutrality protections in the US. 

The Reuters report states that while the actual hacking was done by firms outside of the US, investigators believe that DCI group had been directly involved, and had leaked hacked documents to the media to benefit their corporate clients. 

Fight for the Future director Evan Greer (she/her), who was the direct target of the paid phishing campaign in 2017, issued the following statement:

“If corporations can hire a firm to hack activists’ emails without any consequences, we aren’t living in a democracy. We demand a full investigation into what executives at Verizon knew about DCI group and their contractors targeting net neutrality activists. Reuters reporting indicates that DCI Group shared hacked emails internally and leaked them to the press on behalf of ExxonMobil. Did this also happen with critics of Big Telecom? Maybe it’s just a wild coincidence that critics of DCI groups’ corporate clients keep getting targeted by hackers. If that’s the case, they should come clean and provide a full explanation. If they don’t, there needs to be justice and accountability.”