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Yahoo! My Yahoo! Mail More Yahoo! Services Account Options New User? Sign Up Sign In Help Yahoo! Search web search Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Latvia's cyber 'Robin Hood' faces the law AFP - Wednesday, May 19 Send IM Story Print A woman takes part in a protest in the Latvian capital, Riga against deep spending cuts. Latvia's self-styled cyber 'Robin Hood' is facing prosecution having exposed alleged flaws in the country's austerity drive by highlighting how the elite in this Baltic nation have handed themselves generous redundancy packages amid harsh cutbacks elsewhere in the economy. Slideshow: Full Photo Coverage: Internet Portals & Search Engines RIGA (AFP) - – Forget the ponytail. Forget the glasses. Forget every stereotype of a hacker, despite the scifi-geek pseudonym "Neo". A clean-shaven, 31-year-old married Latvian wearing a buttoned-up shirt sat down this week to explain why he leaked the pay details of public officials onto the Internet. Ilmars Poikans' exposure of alleged flaws in an austerity drive grabbed headlines and embarrassed the elite in this Baltic nation, which has only just edged out of recession. Snared last week after two months of drip-feeding data via microblogging service Twitter, IT researcher Poikans risks prison. He is unbowed, however, and claims he simply wanted more transparency. "Yes, I acknowledge I risked a lot," he told said at his first press conference since being released on bail. "I knew the police would come after me sooner or later," he said. But why, he asked, should he be afraid to give the public the information they needed? Poikans said he stumbled on a basic security loophole on the Latvian tax service's website and decided to exploit it to download millions of documents. Arrested last Tuesday, he was released on Thursday. Police said he was accused of connecting illegally to a database and distributing its information, a crime carrying up to 10 years in prison. His detention sparked protests, fuelled by concerns over press freedom after police last week raided the home of a journalist who first reported on the cyber-vigilante campaign in February. Until April, Poikans gradually posted details of officials' pay, several showing golden parachutes that contrasted sharply with the crisis-fuelled wage cuts faced by most Latvians. Political scientist Nils Muiznieks said Poikans struck a chord because trust in the authorities is rock-bottom in this nation of 2.2 million people. "He is engaged in activism not for materialism, but because of his idealism," Muiznieks added. Latvian media labelled Poikans "Robin Hood". "Let others make that judgement," he said. Latvia's Interior Minister Linda Murniece has faced opposition and media calls to quit, notably due to her defence of the raid on the journalist's home even though police only sought a court order afterwards. She dismissed claims that Poikans was a hero, saying investigators had found that the tax details of ordinary Latvians and private firms had been snatched. "It's a picture very different from the reports about a good Robin Hood who really wants to save the world," she told Latvian radio. "In this process, everyone has opinions and emotions," she also said in her own Twitter feed. "Unfortunately, no one is listening to the facts." Poikans insists he has handed all the documents to the police and has no copies. He claims he discovered the loophole last summer as he struggled to view an online tax document that his accountant had been able to see but he could not access. He decided to try cutting and pasting the document's Internet address into the browser. That enabled him to view it, despite lacking authorisation, and he realised he could access other documents without having to be logged into the system. "I accidentally opened this security hole," he said. The unknown "Fourth Awakening People's Army" -- a nod to past Latvian revolutionary movements -- first claimed responsibility for the leaks. Poikans said he invented it, and acted alone. He adopted the nickname "Neo" after the hero in the cult scifi movie trilogy "The Matrix". Poikans said he decided not to inform the tax service because it needed to learn a lesson and not just sweep the problem under the rug. The authorities did learn, it seems. President Valdis Zatlers initiated a test of all official databases against potential hacking. The tax authority closed the security hole shortly after the revelation. Last week, parliament adopted a measure requiring government institutions to publish the pay of different categories of staff and allowing members of the public to request in writing the details of individual state employees. Poikans remains cautious about his future. "It will depend on the police," he said. "How far they're willing to take this farce." Recommend Send IM Story Print Related Articles US-TECH Summary Reuters - 1 hour 54 minutes ago Twitter expects hundreds of advertisers Reuters - Wednesday, May 19 Latvia's cyber 'Robin Hood' faces the law AFP - Wednesday, May 19 Yahoo buys user-generated publisher Reuters - Wednesday, May 19 Hewlett-Packard profit surges as tech spending revives AFP - Wednesday, May 19 News Search Top Stories Australia's Fortescue cites tax, suspends projects Germany clamps down on speculative trading Dollar surges to new four-year high against euro Euro dives to new four-year low against dollar EU loan arrives to save Greece from debt default More Top Stories » Related Full Coverage Internet Portals & Search EnginesLatest development in the online world All Full Coverage » ADVERTISEMENT Most Popular Most Viewed Most Recommended Ocean fish could disappear in 40 years: UN Prudential eyes record takeover of Asian insurer BBC says sorry for queen death joke Europe labours over rescue deal as fears linger Greece gets first 14.5 bln euros of EU rescue loans More Most Viewed » Scientists stunned as grey whale sighted off Israel Lack of sleep linked to early death: study UN fears 'irreversible' damage to natural environment Earth may be too hot for humans by 2300: study Freddie Mac asks for fresh 10.6 billion dollar bailout More Most Recommended » Elsewhere on Yahoo! 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