Data Theft Allegation

Through the years, when the issue of greater collaboration between WP-ORG and the USMA’s AOG has been broached, the allegation that at one time WP-ORG stole a database from the AOG is invariably reiterated. In the hopes of putting a final nail in the coffin, the following letter was sent in September of 2007 to the CEO of the AOG along with a request that it be disseminated to the AOG’s board of directors.

~ Dempsey
**********

LTG (Ret) Ted Stroup
Chairman, AOG, USMA
Dear General Stroup,

I am writing this letter to correct what has been represented to be institutional knowledge among the staff at the AOG.  While at West Point for the latest Leaders Conference, Jack Price, one of our longest serving Advisors, had a conversation with Geoff Louis, your CFO.  Although Geoff acknowledged the incident had taken place prior to his time, he told Jack that everyone at AOG believed that WP-ORG had hacked into the AOG computer and stolen the AOG database to build WP-ORG.

Jack told Geoff this was ABSOLUTELY NOT TRUE.  I seek your assistance in clearing up this misunderstanding of our mutual past history.  Here are the facts we would like you to present to all members of the AOG staff, all members of the Board of Directors, and finally, all members of the Advisors. I know this will not cover all parties to whom such views may have been communicated, but we will accept this as a good faith effort.

1. WP-ORG, in its various configurations, has been active since 1994.  The incident which is at the bottom of this, occurred in August 1999.  AOG opened a link on their web site, for graduates to query for Cullum information, the same data that was publicly published in the Register of Graduates (ROG).  (This data is currently provided yearly for the new graduating classes by AOG to WP-ORG.)  WP-ORG was building their graduate database from the same hard cover resource, and had been doing so since 1996, in the format:

   LASTNAME Firstname Middlename yrgrp Cullum co <email address>

The link AOG provided would yield identical data, and our founder, Expeditus Bolaños, ‘90, automated the query process to collect the above formatted data on all graduates through the provided link. He did NOT hack into the AOG server.  He did NOT steal anything, much less the AOG database, which consists of extensive data beyond what was provided, such as employment data, fund raising, and financial records.

2.  Upon AOG’s strong objections to the action, which had been taken openly, WP-ORG promised not to take advantage of any such future opportunities.  That data was deleted.

3.  Although this happened eight years ago, it continues to provide some in AOG with a focus for attacking WP-ORG.  The story has morphed from the facts above into the statement, “Everyone at AOG believed that WP-ORG had hacked into the AOG computer and stolen the AOG database to build WP-ORG.”

4.  Jack told Geoff that, given this statement, it was important that the belief be corrected and accurate information distributed to all parties.  That is the purpose of this letter.

I am

Yours Truly,

Dempsey Darrow, ‘75
CEO WP-ORG, Inc.

for

WP-ORG Board of Advisors

Doug Dribben, ‘83
John Greiman, ‘81
Warren Hearnes, ‘89
Megan Hostler
Mike Lyman, ‘87
Donna McAleer, ‘87
Bob Magruder, ‘64
Mike McGurk, ‘85
Ray Nelson, ‘83
Jack Price, ‘64
Bob Totten ‘60
Dian Welle
Paul Werner, ‘83