'Robin Hood' leaks bankers' details on Latvian TV

A Latvian man is being hailed as a modern-day version of Robin Hood after he allegedly leaked data about the finances of banks and state-owned firm to Latvian TV.

Adopting the monicker "Neo" - reportedly in homage to the protagonist portrayed by Keanu Reeves in The Matrix movies - the hacker claims that he wants to expose those cashing in on the recession as it sweeps across Latvia.

The BBC reports that "Neo" is slowing filtering information via Twitter to the TV station, leaving audiences hooked. According to reports, the Latvian government and police are no investigation the incident.

Pay details

But the man, who is naming and shaming the fat cats who are cashing in on the expense of others, is being called a hero by Latvarian nationals.

Data that has been leaked so far includes pay details of managers from a Latvian bank that recieved a government bailout and the fact that many did not take the pay cuts they had promised in return for recieving the handout.

"Neo", who's true identity remains a mystery, claims to be art of a group called the Fourth Awakening People's Army, which downloaded more than seven million confidential tax documents from the State Revenue Service.

He is thought to be based in Britain and reportedly, over a three month period, downloaded the private data of up to 1000 companies along with the rest of his group.

Worst crisis in decades

Latvia is currently in the middle of its worst economic crisis since it broke free from the Soviet Union in 1991. Unemployment levels - at 23 percent - are the highest in the European Union and over the last two years economic output has dropped by almost a quarter. As a result, there is great interest from nationals about how the crisis can be turned around.

Ilze Nagla, a TV presenter on the state-owned Latvian TV, told the BBC that the hacker has attained cult status for some.

"A lot of people perceive him as a modern, virtual Robin Hood," she said. "On the one hand of course he has stolen confidential data [...] and he actually has committed a crime. But at the same time there is value for the public in the sense that now a lot of information gets disclosed."

Matthew Buttell

Matt Buttell graduated from Bath Spa University in 2006. Since then he has written for several publications, before moving to the web. He now writes solely for the internet, continuing to cover key business issues while managing his own personal blog.

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