Release of 600 Australian Jews' Names by NYT Staffer Led to Attacks

A leak of 600 Australian Jews who got doxxed by anti-Israel activists who ultimately harassed, threatened, and vandalized their property has reportedly been traced back to a reporter for The New York Times.

The Australian Jewish community members were in a WhatsApp group, the membership of which was shared by a Times reporter in Australia, Natasha Frost. The Times has announced it is disciplining its reporter for the data breach that threatened the security of Jews that were victims of antisemitic attacks, The Jerusalem Post reported.

The Times has taken "appropriate action" on its journalists for the doxxing, it wrote in a statement.

"It has been brought to our attention that a New York Times reporter inappropriately shared information with the subject of a story to assist the individual in a private matter, a clear violation of our ethics," a Times spokeswoman said, the Post reported. "This was done without the knowledge or approval of the Times."

The doxxing of the group came as Frost published content from the WhatsApp group this February. The result was that anti-Israel individuals created a group call the Zio600 to go after the Jews in Australia, according to the report.

Among the threats were posts of photos of children of the members, and targeting them with hate speech and "I know where you live" threats, according to the Post.

"I was shocked by these events, which put me and many others at terrible risk," Frost told The Wall Street Journal. "I deeply regret my decision."

The WhatsApp group was started by Australian Jewish community members coming together against antisemitic attacks after Oct. 7 – and not for anti-Gaza activism, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told Radio 2GB in February.

It was "not a WhatsApp group that was heavily political," but "a WhatsApp group to provide support for each other because of the rise in antisemitism that we've seen," he said.

"The idea that in Australia, someone should be targeted because of their religion, because of their faith, whether they be Jewish or Muslim or Hindu or Catholic or Buddhist, is just completely unacceptable."