Reuters journalist accused of assisting Anonymous

PanARMENIAN.Net - A social media editor working for Reuters has been accused of assisting hacking group Anonymous to breach the security of his former employer, Digital Spy said.

Matthew Keys, 26, stands accused of supplying Anonymous with log-in credentials for a Tribune Company computer server. He was previously employed by Sacramento-based TV station KTXL FOX40, part of the Tribune organisation.

It is alleged that at least one Anonymous hacker used the log-in details to amend a web version of a Los Angeles Times news feature.

Keys, the Reuters deputy social media editor, said that he only heard about the charges on Twitter, where he has more than 20,000 followers.

Reuters said that it was reviewing the matter, but noted that the alleged action occurred more than a year before Keys joined the news agency.

The US Justice Department has confirmed that Keys has been charged in California with two counts related to alleged conspiracy to damage a protected computer.

According to federal indictment documents obtained by The Huffington Post, the authorities claim that Keys used a chat site to pass information to Anonymous members.

Keys is scheduled to appear in front of a federal court in Sacramento on April 14. If convicted, he faces up to ten years in jail and a fine of $250,000 (£165,000) for each count charged.