Team Navalny is looking into how a database of email addresses registered for their \u201cFreedom for Navalny!\u201d protest campaign leaked online. Journalists from Open Media first reported the leak on Thursday, April 15, after receiving copies of the database in an email attachment. The leak took place on the same day that Navalny\u2019s Anti-Corruption Foundation released a new investigation into Vladimir Putin\u2019s official residence in Valdai. Team Navalny has apologized for the incident, and assured that the database itself doesn\u2019t contain any personal information other than email addresses. Navalny\u2019s chief of staff told Meduza that the leak hasn\u2019t affected his team\u2019s preparations for the planned protest action.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, April 15, Alexey Navalny\u2019s Anti-Corruption Foundation (the FBK) released a new investigation into Russian President Vladimir Putin\u2019s official residence in Valdai.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Later that evening, journalists from Open Media <\/em>reported that unknown individuals had gained access to the email database from the website of the \u201cFreedom for Navalny!\u201d campaign, where the opposition politician\u2019s supporters can register to take part in a planned countrywide protest action demanding his release from prison.<\/p>\n Open Media <\/em>reported the leak after several of the outlet\u2019s journalists who had registered with the protest campaign received emails with the website\u2019s email database attached. The leaked database included their own email addresses.<\/p>\n \u201cThe attached file [contains] the entire email database \u2014 you can find your own [email address] there. For those who have doubts, in addition to the email address, we have added the time of your registration and its confirmation. This will help you remember the moment when you put your data in the hands of losers. There are 529,000 email addresses \u2014 70 percent are bots, but there are also living people, like you,\u201d the anonymous email said.<\/p>\n According to Znak.com<\/em>, <\/em>the people behind the emails also said that they have begun to deanonymize the information in the database, after which they plan to sell it to advertising companies.\u00a0<\/p>\n Team Navalny confirmed the authenticity of the database and apologized for the leak. The database was used for distributing mail-outs to registered email addresses using the online service Mailgun, explained FBK director Ivan Zhdanov, assuring that Navalny\u2019s associates have launched an investigation into the leak.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is exclusively a database of email addresses, without last names, first names, or any further details. The dirtiest trick the attackers can do is send you an unpleasant email, which will likely end up in spam. […] We apologize for the trouble [this] has caused. This is the first time this has happened. We\u2019ll do everything to prevent this situation from happening again.\u201d<\/p>\n In a comment to Meduza, <\/em>Navalny\u2019s chief of staff Leonid Volkov said that the leak has in no way impacted his team\u2019s plans to go forward with the \u201cFreedom for Navalny!\u201d protest.<\/p>\n \u201cThis question sounds a lot like, \u2018Are you planning to terminate your pregnancy because dill prices went up in Argentina?\u2019 Preparations for the rally are underway, an investigation into the incident involving the publication of the Mailgun logs is underway, there is no connection between these two events,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The new \u201cFreedom for Navalny!\u201d campaign was announced in late March. Team Navalny launched a dedicated website and invited Navalny\u2019s supporters to register to take part in a planned protest action in support of the jailed opposition politician. To sign up, you have to register your location and email address.<\/p>\n According to the campaign website, more than 440,000 people have registered at the time of this writing. Navalny\u2019s associates plan to announce the date of the rally when the campaign registers 500,000 supporters.<\/p>\n On January 23 and 31, as well as on February 2, pro-Navalny protests took place in more than 100 cities across Russia. More than 11,000 people were detained across the country during the three days of demonstrations, and investigators launched dozens of criminal cases in connection with the rallies.\u00a0<\/p>\n On February 14, Navalny\u2019s associates organized small flash mobs in neighborhoods across the country, under the slogan \u201cLove is stronger than fear.\u201d This protest action took place without any arrests.<\/p>\n