Researcher finds database of people with ‘security risk’

A researcher claims on Reddit that he owns a database of individuals with “heightened security risks,” including those with alleged ties to terrorism. It would be a list of Thomson Reuters, which is used by banks for financial screening.

The researcher, Chris Vickery, gave Motherboard access to the list. The database contains 2.24 million entries, divided into categories such as ‘political’, ‘military’, ‘crime – drugs’ and ‘terrorism’. It would be a copy of Thomson Reuters’ ‘World-Check’ database from mid-2014.

Vickery does not disclose how he obtained the database, but claims that it is not a hack but a leak, and not through Thomson Reuters itself. He asks for opinions via Reddit users on whether he should release the database.

World-Check is based on public information, Motherboard says, and customers can use the database to screen individuals financially. Privacy laws impose strict conditions on the collection, processing and analysis of information, as has been done for the list. In a February post, Vice highlighted the existence of World-Check, referring to it as a “terrorist blacklist.”

In a statement to Motherboard, Thomson Reuters said the issue was with a third party, which was notified and took the list offline. The company denies that it is a “blacklist” and states that it collects financial data from public sources, which organizations can use to comply with regulations. The information services company claims to have 6,000 clients from 170 countries for World-Check, including more than 300 government agencies, nine of the top ten major law firms and 49 of the 50 largest banks.