A 20-year-old German man confessed to stealing and publishing the personal data of hundreds of politicians and other high-profile public figures to spite their political views, the New York Times reports.

The big picture: The attack heightened concerns about the German government's ability to curb attacks targeting citizens' personal data. The suspect published information from individuals from every leading political party in Germany — except the far-right Alternative for Germany. Officials did not provide any information regarding the man's political views, according to the Times.

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