Moscow police are using leaked online personal data from projects linked to jailed opposition politician Aleksei Navalny to investigate people who have supported the Kremlin critic.
The OVD-Info website said on August 17 that police had visited some 20 individuals who registered for online projects developed by Navalny associates or donated to Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) and his other projects.
According to OVD-Info, police are demanding explanations from the people as to how their names were included in the leaked data related to Navalny's online projects and why they are involved with him.
In June, a court in Moscow labeled FBK and Navalny's other projects and groups extremist and banned them. Under Russian law, cooperation with such groups is considered illegal and may lead to criminal prosecution.
Police have not said how they obtained the people's personal data from Navalny's websites.
One person, who was not identified, told OVD-Info that police asked him to file a legal complaint against Navalny to accuse him of sharing personal data.
Journalist and municipal lawmaker Ilya Azar, whose personal data was among those leaked, wrote on Telegram late on August 17 that police had tried to visit him as well, but he was not at home.
"They talked to [my] neighbors about some personal data leaked on the Internet," Azar wrote.
One such leak took place in April, when the online campaign called "Freedom to Navalny" was reportedly compromised.
Navalny associates said at the time that a former FBK worker had "stolen" all the personal data of those who registered at the pro-Navalny site.
After that leak, the Moscow Metropolitan Company fired dozens of workers whose personal data turned up among the names of Navalny supporters.
