In early 2024, a New York Times reporter based in Melbourne was at the center of a significant data breach that exposed the personal information of over 600 Australian Jewish members of a private WhatsApp group, which led to widespread harassment and threats against the group’s members. Natasha Frost, the reporter in question, has acknowledged her role in the leak, but is still employed by the Times.

The New York Times claimed it took disciplinary action against Frost after she admitted to downloading and sharing 900 pages of content from the WhatsApp group, which had been created by Australian Jews following the October 7 massacre. Described as a “lifeline” for its members, the group was meant to foster community support amid rising antisemitism. However, Frost’s actions resulted in the creation of an online list, dubbed the “Zio600,” which was exploited by pro-Palestinian activists to target and dox the group’s members.

The Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported that the data leak led to the dissemination of names, photos, and social media profiles of the WhatsApp group’s members, inciting both online and in-person threats, harassment, and even vandalism. One family in Melbourne had to close their shop and go into hiding after receiving a message with a photo of their child and the chilling words: “I know where you live.” Their shop was subsequently vandalized.

Another victim, a high school teacher at a Jewish school, faced harassment at her workplace, where she was accused of being “complicit in genocide” by anonymous callers. Fearing for her safety, she installed security cameras in her home.

In a statement at the time, Alex Ryvchin, co-CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, likened the list to those used by the Nazis during the Holocaust to target Jews.

Frost, who initially claimed she had shared the data with only one person, claimed she had no knowledge of its wider dissemination. “I was shocked by these events, which put me and many others at terrible risk,” Frost told the Wall Street Journal. “I deeply regret my decision.”

The fallout from the data breach has prompted Australian authorities to reevaluate privacy laws. Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus introduced legislation in March 2024 to ban the practice of doxxing, which is currently not illegal in Australia. The proposed reforms to the Privacy Act aim to protect victims of doxxing and address the growing threat of online harassment. Christoph Schmon, the international policy director at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, remarked that this incident could serve as a catalyst for the creation of new anti-doxxing laws.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also weighed in on the incident, expressing his dismay during a February interview with Radio 2GB. “This was not a heavily political WhatsApp group. It was a group providing support because of the rise in antisemitism that we’ve seen,” Albanese said. “The idea that in Australia, someone should be targeted because of their religion, whether they be Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Catholic, or Buddhist, is completely unacceptable.”

Although Frost’s profile remains on The New York Times website, her contact details have been removed – presumably to avoid being doxed the way she allowed hundreds of Jews to be.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)