The U.S. Justice Department is investigating a global hacking campaign that targeted prominent American climate activists. The investigation took a significant turn this week with extradition hearings for Amit Forlit, an Israeli private investigator, at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London. Forlit is accused of orchestrating a sophisticated hacking operation.
The operation was allegedly commissioned by a Washington, D.C. lobbying firm working on behalf of one of the world’s largest oil and gas companies based in Texas. The company reportedly sought to discredit individuals and groups involved in climate litigation. Both the lobbying firm and the oil company, identified through media investigations as ExxonMobil, have denied any involvement or awareness of the alleged hacking activities.
The U.S. has filed an extradition request to bring Forlit to America to face charges of conspiracy to commit computer hacking, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and wire fraud. The hacking campaign has raised significant concerns among climate activists.
investigation into activist hacking campaign
They believe the operation was intended to intimidate and undermine their efforts to combat climate change. Lee Wasserman, director of the Rockefeller Family Fund and one of the alleged victims, stated, “It was undoubtedly designed to intimidate and scare advocates from continuing their work to hold these major oil companies accountable.”
DCI Group, the lobbying firm allegedly involved, has been under scrutiny as part of this investigation. However, Craig Stevens, a partner at DCI, denied any wrongdoing in an email statement, saying, “Allegations of DCI’s involvement with hacking supposedly occurring nearly a decade ago are false and unsubstantiated.”
Similarly, ExxonMobil spokesperson Elise Otten said, “ExxonMobil has not been involved in, nor are we aware of, any hacking activities.
If there was any hacking involved, we condemn it in the strongest possible terms.”
The investigation became public in 2019 with the arrest of Aviram Azari, a former Israeli police officer and private investigator, in New York. Azari pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit computer hacking and other charges. Prosecutors alleged that Azari managed multiple hacking campaigns which targeted not only American climate activists but also government officials in Africa and critics of a German company called Wirecard.
Azari was sentenced to more than six years in prison and fined over $4.8 million. During his sentencing, federal prosecutors disclosed that information stolen from climate activists was leaked to the media in a way that appeared designed to undermine state climate investigations of ExxonMobil. John Scott-Railton, a senior researcher at the Citizen Lab, a cybersecurity watchdog, commented on the broader implications of such hacking operations: “Nothing is more powerful at chilling speech and encouraging self-censorship than the feeling your entire digital world could be invaded simply because of your work.”
As the U.S. Justice Department continues its extradition efforts for Forlit, the case sheds light on the complexities and serious implications of cyber sabotage in the context of global climate activism and corporate interests.
