A group of alleged hackers is threatening EU members to publish personal data. Gamers are not convinced.
What kind of video is this? On social media platforms like TikTok, X, and Reddit, videos from a group calling itself “NullSec” are currently circulating. The channel has released a total of 5 short videos, one of which has over 2.6 million views.
The currently latest video on the channel directs a threat at the EU Parliament and its members. They intend to publish private information from members of the European Parliament if it does not agree to a re-vote regarding the so-called chat control.
Here speaks NullSec. We have a demand to make. You voted to abolish the rights of the population and completely disregarded their privacy. So why should we respect yours?
We have a simple demand. We want a straightforward democratic re-vote on the decision regarding chat control – in the presence of all MEPs. I repeat, in the presence of all MEPs. [Note from the editor: MEPs = Members of the European Parliament.]
If our demands are not met, we will publish highly private information about several MEPs who voted for this abolition of privacy. We will start with ease: private phone numbers, private addresses, private emails, and photos. If our demands are still not met, we will publish even more confidential information, which you would never want anyone to get, let alone the entire internet. These will be things that reveal all your atrocities, private text messages, and the like. Europe, you have 72 hours to respond.
If you decide to initiate investigations and/or make any arrests, we will publish all information immediately.
The group implies through its public appearance and the threat to publish private data and information that it is a hacker group – although it does not explicitly say so, even if cybersecurity is repeatedly a topic in the videos.
What’s behind the threat? NullSec demands a re-vote on the decision of chat control to prevent and combat child sexual abuse. The legislative initiative aims to force companies like Microsoft, Google, or Meta (WhatsApp, Instagram) to search chats for representations of child abuse. These could and should then be allowed to search private chats for signs of child sexual abuse.
Chat control is controversial. Critics see the automated scans as the beginning of widespread mass surveillance and an infringement of privacy and additionally doubt the actual benefit: The German Child Protection Association argues that representations usually do not occur via chats but through file hosting services (Source: Tagesschau).
NullSec likely demands a re-vote because the extension of the exception was decided in July in a controversial urgent procedure. Although a simple majority of the present legislators voted against the extension, an absolute majority would have been necessary for a complete stop. Since the vote took place shortly before the summer break and many legislators were already on summer vacation, this hurdle was missed.
Real hackers or just roleplay?
This is how the video is discussed: Many users are convinced that NullSec is not really a proper hacker group. The video looks like a heavily staged, stereotypical hacker portrayal from movies, series, or video games.
Many gamers are reminded of the hacker group DedSec from the Ubisoft classic Watch Dogs. Like DedSec, they fight against widespread surveillance of citizens and the collection of their personal data. However, in 2011, there was a hacker group named LulzSec, which also advocated for information freedom but allegedly did so for the joy of chaos.
Overall, there is a lack of evidence to substantiate the actions and existence of a real hacker group named NullSec. There are only the 5 videos and a website. The group should therefore be viewed with some skepticism. The situation is different for the activist group that wants to offer a backup of the Spotify library for free: Hackers steal 256 million songs from Spotify, want to make all knowledge of humanity freely accessible
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