Data Theft Allegation
13 02 2008Through 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
Good Lord! What a tragic thing to have two great organizations like the AOG, which virtually all Grads depend on to represent us, and WP-Org, which so many Grads have come to depend upon to stay connected to Classmates and Friends, at odds is just incomprehensible! An alleged hacking in 1999, Indeed! Get over it AOG!
Time for an immediate sit-down of leadership of AOG and WP-Org, and final flush of that nonsense. Then let’s get on with being the great AOG and the great WP-Org we all expect!
We have met the enemy, and they are us!
Bud Henry ’64 is right on target when he says “ We have met the enemy, and they are us !” when discussing the WPAOG/WP-ORG problem.
As a former WP-ORG Advisor and 13 year ‘55 Moderator (8 Nets), for 13 years I have been watching both WP-ORG and WPAOG leadership grow quite comfortable keeping the 2 organizations at each other’s throats. This relationship is not right and I believe we can do better. The problem is not easy to solve since the leadership of both organizations have always believed they are the “Good Guys” and await the “Bad Guys” to come to their “senses” and yield. In 13 years, this never happened, and never will.
The Data Theft Allegation event was only one of many…many….many events which have resulted in the current situation. What is needed, if we really want to solve the problem, is that both organizations agree to honestly seek resolution and participate in the tough give and take it will take to put these 13 years behind us.
Salisbury’62, Lyman’58, Dick Puckett ’64 have volunteered to give another try…..I also volunteer.
Welter’55
“An alleged hacking in 1999, Indeed! Get over it AOG!
“Time for an immediate sit-down of leadership of AOG and WP-Org, and final flush of that nonsense. Then let’s get on with being the great AOG and the great WP-Org we all expect! ”
Most have moved on and gotten over the old misunderstanding. The two organizations do sit down and talk and work together where we can. There is some old baggage that crops up from time to time like this old myth that simply needs to be addressed as they come up.
We publish things like this because one recurring issue has long been less than perfect communications. Most folks involved thought the issue was resolved and moved past but clearly some never heard the resolution. So we asked WPAOG to work internally to make that happen there and we published this later to further get the word out to places where it may have spread. Open communications.
There is overlap between membership at WPAOG and WP-ORG but we don’t see everything that goes on internally in either side anymore than WPAOG/WP-ORG and classes and societies we both support see inside each others internal actions. Misunderstandings are going to happen and you deal with them when they do.