GMO Chairman Scolds Staff at Press Conference After Data Breach
Listen to the story
GMO, a major Japanese internet company, has suffered a cyberattack involving unauthorized access to its systems. Personal information connected to the company was taken.
The company held a press conference to explain the situation, and the president apologized publicly for the incident.
During the same press conference, however, public attention shifted to comments made by GMO's chairman toward his own staff. He reportedly told one employee to prepare a presentation in sharp language, and criticized another employee for leaving a suit jacket button undone.
Footage of the exchange spread online, and many viewers reacted strongly to what they saw as a harsh hierarchy between the chairman and his subordinates. The clips drew wide discussion on social media, with many users expressing shock at the tone used.
Separately, reports connected to the case suggest that a suspicious online account may have links to the attack, and that a statement related to the incident spread online. Some reports raise the possibility that North Korea could be involved, although this has not been officially confirmed.
Additional reporting notes a sharp rise in the trade of Japanese citizens' personal data on the dark web, part of the internet not indexed by normal search engines and often used for illegal trading. More than five million pieces of related data have reportedly been found worldwide.
The combination of the security breach and the chairman's public conduct toward staff has made this a widely discussed story in Japan this week.
Vocabulary10 words
- cyberattack
- an attack on a computer system
- unauthorized access
- entering a system without permission
- press conference
- a public event where officials answer questions
- presentation
- a talk using slides to share information
- hierarchy
- a system where some people have more power than others
- account
- a user profile for a website or service
- dark web
- a hidden, hard-to-access part of the internet
- subordinates
- people who work under someone's authority
- breach
- a break in security, allowing unwanted access
- confirmed
- officially proven to be true
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Quiz
Answer key
1. To explain a cyberattack and apologize 2. The chairman's sharp comments to staff 3. True
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Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
GMO, a major Japanese internet company, has suffered a _____ involving unauthorized access to its systems.
Personal _____ connected to the company was taken.
The company held a press conference, and the _____ apologized publicly.
Attention shifted to comments made by GMO's _____ toward his own staff.
He told one employee to prepare a _____ in sharp language.
He criticized another employee for leaving a suit jacket _____ undone.
Many viewers reacted strongly to what they saw as a harsh _____.
Some reports raise the possibility that North _____ could be involved.
There has been a sharp rise in the trade of personal data on the _____.
More than five _____ pieces of related data have reportedly been found worldwide.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think the chairman's comments caused such a strong reaction online?
- What responsibilities does a company have after a data breach like this?
- Why might personal data be valuable on the dark web?
- How should company leaders behave during public events like press conferences?
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