Technology
Urgent probe as Google Earth reveals where 110,000 GUNS are stored across UK
THE names and home addresses of more than 110,000 British firearms owners have been leaked online.
The database posted to a blog last week is available as a file that if downloaded pinpoints houses as likely gun locations on Google Earth.
The names and home addresses of 111,000 gun owners have leaked online
The data was stolen in July after a UK firearms sales website was breached, according to The Register.
Cyber crooks stole the details of 111,000 customers of GunTrader, a Gumtree-style website used for buying and selling firearms.
Last week, the data re-emerged after it was posted as a file compatible with Google Earth on an animal rights activist’s blog.
The file was advertised as being importable into Google Earth so users could “contact as many [owners] as you can in your area”.
Users were encouraged to ask gun owners “if they are involved in shooting animals.”
According to The Register, the data was reformatted to show the locations of individual homes.
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The National Crime Agency (NCA) is investigating the data breach.
The law enforcement agency said it “is aware that information has been published online as a result of a recent data breach which impacted Guntrader”.
The statement added: “We are working closely with the South West Regional Cyber Crime Unit, who are leading the criminal investigation, to support the organisation and manage any risk.”
After the data was first leaked in July, gun owners said they were worried that their homes could be targeted by criminals.
The newly leaked file doesn’t add any data per se, but puts it into a new format that makes it easier to locate gun owners.
Guntrader’s website says that it holds a “full electronic gun and ammunition register’ touting as it as the ‘most safe and secure gun register system on todays’ market”.
The company said in July that no information about the location of firearms was taken, but acknowledged that user names and addresses had been.
The firearms website told the BBC it had nothing to add in response to the latest development “beyond saying that we continue to work with the relevant authorities to mitigate the impact of this data theft”.
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In other news, little-known photographs of the 9/11 terror attacks are available to view on Google Earth.
Apple announced last month that it’s working on a new documentary about 9/11 featuring never-before-seen footage.
And, Facebook has launched new “prayer tools” which offer US megachurches the chance to raise funds and listen to prayer requests.
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