According to data protection specialists, corporate espionage is becoming a way too common practice and has also evolved with the inclusion of new technologies. This time, the CEO of a technology company currently based in San Francisco, US, has been charged with four illegal intrusions into a protected computer equipment crimes.
Jonathan Manzi, 28-years-old, turned himself in
to justice a few weeks ago and, although he is free for now, still faces a
court case brought in the U.S. District Court.
Data protection experts mention that Manzi was accused of accessing an individual’s Google account, as well as the Dropbox account of Wepa Inc., Manzi’s company’s main competitor, for the purpose of obtaining useful information to outperform their competitor income in profits. It is estimated that the value of the information obtained is around $5k USD.
Manzi is CEO of Ink Labs Inc, which produces
printing kiosks used at some universities and technology company Beyond
Protocol. After the University of Nebraska-Lincoln decided not to renew its
contract with Ink Labs, Wepa was awarded those contracts, which would have led
to this corporate espionage campaign.
If found guilty, Manzi could receive a sentence
of up to 5 years in prison, as well as a fine of up to $250k USD. On the other
hand, Manzi’s defense, led by attorney John Berry, declared: “Mr. Manzi
has pleaded not guilty. He maintains that he has committed no crime and for now
awaits the day of his trial.”
Although the company had moved to Lincoln a
couple of years ago, after what the CEO called a “hostile takeover attempt
by some investors,” the company returned to trading in San Francisco.
This is not the most recent known case of corporate
espionage. According to data protection specialists from the
International Institute of Cyber Security (IICS) it was reported a case of
espionage a few weeks ago involving two prestigious financial companies. The
case has already brought undesirable consequences, such as the suicide of one
of the alleged operators of the espionage campaign and the resignation of at
least two high-ranking officials.
