Danish Industry suspects mass access requests may be pranks

DR reports that Denmark’s industry organisation Dansk Industri suspects a wave of requests for access to public documents sent to schools and utility companies may amount to pranks or harassment. The requests, which appear to have been written using artificial intelligence, have also reached private companies.

Jeppe Engell, a cybersecurity expert and chief consultant at Dansk Industri, told Ritzau that the organisation is taking the matter seriously despite its suspicion that the requests could be harassment. He said the senders did not appear to be actors giving cause for concern.

The Ministry of Justice says it is preparing general guidance for public authorities and utility companies on handling the requests. The ministry, which is responsible for the Public Information Act, said many organisations had received unusually high numbers of similar requests and some had asked for advice.

The requests have also raised concerns among schools and utility companies. Kim Mortensen, director of the Danish District Heating Association, told DR that the information could be used to learn how utilities organise their emergency preparedness. The Agency for IT and Learning has urged education institutions to report the requests as IT crime. The Agency for Social Security and Emergency Preparedness had not responded to DR’s questions at the time of publication.