Online 'Robin Hood' takes battle to bankers

Every now and then, technology allows someone to make a statement about the state of the world today, or to fight back using means they might now otherwise have. In this case, a Latvian hacker has used the internet to leak data and expose bankers and establishments who cashed in during the recession.

The hacker, known as Neo (an obvious nod to The Matrix) has become a hero in Latvia where he has audiences hooked as he leaks details of the finances of leading Latvian firms via Twitter. The data included pay details of managers from a Latvian bank that received a bail-out, but didn't take the salary cuts they promised to. Other leaks have shown state-owned companies awarding bonuses to staff while asking the government for financial aid.

Sticking it to The Man

Neo claims to be part of a group called the Fourth Awakening People's Army, that downloaded more than seven million confidential tax documents from the State Revenue Service.

Although he is being investigated by Latvian authorities, it is believed he is based in Britain. Speaking to the BBC, Ilze Nagla, a TV presenter on the state-owned Latvian TV said that Neo had become a cult hero for many.

"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 and the whole system maybe becomes a little more transparent," she said.

Although many European countries are struggling in the wake of the recession, Latvia is among the hardest hit suffering the worst economic crisis since it broke free from the Soviet Union in 1991. With unemployment at 23 percent, the Latvian population are not best pleased at those lining their own pockets in times of such strife.

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