• Home
  • News
  • Fortune 500
  • Tech
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
Leadership

Anonymous Just Made Good on Its Promise to Hack Donald Trump

Claire Zillman
By
Claire Zillman
Claire Zillman
Editor, Leadership
Down Arrow Button Icon
Claire Zillman
By
Claire Zillman
Claire Zillman
Editor, Leadership
Down Arrow Button Icon
March 18, 2016, 8:36 AM ET

Earlier this week the hacker group Anonymous declared “total war” on GOP frontrunner Donald Trump, calling his behavior “deeply disturbing.”

On Thursday, Anonymous started to follow through on that promise, reportedly posting personal information about Trump online. Most of it was already public, like his birthday, his place of birth, and his legal counsel, but there were a few tidbits that had been private, namely his (alleged) social security number and the number to his cell phone, according to USA Today.

In saying it would target Trump, Anonymous cited the White House hopeful’s characterization of Mexicans as “rapists,” his mocking of a disabled reporter, and his insults against women as its motivation for cyberattacks. The group’s hackers often use distributed denial of service attacks—overwhelming floods of Internet traffic—to pummel computer servers.

The Anonymous YouTube page had asked participants to target the website “trumpchicago.com” on April 1, or April Fool’s Day in the U.S., but based on the information posted Thursday, it looks like the group got a head start.

When asked for comment, Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks did not say whether the information posted online was legitimate but told Fortune in an email that “government and law enforcement authorities are seeking the arrest of the people responsible for attempting to illegally hack Mr. Trump’s accounts and telephone information.”

This story has been updated to reflect comments from the Trump campaign.

About the Author
Claire Zillman
By Claire ZillmanEditor, Leadership
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Claire Zillman is a senior editor at Fortune, overseeing leadership stories. 

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Leadership

NewslettersCIO Intelligence
Dave’s Hot Chicken is placing broad bets on AI to give the restaurant chain an edge in the chicken wars
By John KellDecember 3, 2025
32 minutes ago
SuccessEducation
Scott Galloway got mostly B’s and C’s in high school, never studied for the SAT, and had to try twice to get into UCLA. Now he’s worth $150 million
By Sydney LakeDecember 3, 2025
36 minutes ago
William Stone
SuccessBillionaires
While Billie Eilish slams non-philanthropic billionaires, this CEO says telling people what to do with their cash is ‘invasive’ and to ‘butt out’
By Jessica CoacciDecember 3, 2025
37 minutes ago
Workplace CultureBrainstorm Design
Designer Kevin Bethune: Bringing ‘disparate disciplines around the table’ is how leaders can ‘problem solve the future’
By Fortune EditorsDecember 3, 2025
46 minutes ago
Tony Cuccio posing in a chair
C-SuiteMillionaires
Tony Cuccio started with $200 selling beauty products on Venice Beach. Then he brought gel nails to the masses—and forged a $2 billion empire
By Dave SmithDecember 3, 2025
1 hour ago
CryptoFinance
Bitcoin’s biggest booster Michael Saylor fights to stave off an $8 billion collapse and being the first major crypto domino to fall
By Jeff John RobertsDecember 3, 2025
1 hour ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
North America
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos commit $102.5 million to organizations combating homelessness across the U.S.: ‘This is just the beginning’
By Sydney LakeDecember 2, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Ford workers told their CEO 'none of the young people want to work here.' So Jim Farley took a page out of the founder's playbook
By Sasha RogelbergNovember 28, 2025
5 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Elon Musk says he warned Trump against tariffs, which U.S. manufacturers blame for a turn to more offshoring and diminishing American factory jobs
By Sasha RogelbergDecember 2, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Warren Buffett used to give his family $10,000 each at Christmas—but when he saw how fast they were spending it, he started buying them shares instead
By Eleanor PringleDecember 2, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
North America
Anonymous $50 million donation helps cover the next 50 years of tuition for medical lab science students at University of Washington
By The Associated PressDecember 2, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
C-Suite
MacKenzie Scott's $19 billion donations have turned philanthropy on its head—why her style of giving actually works
By Sydney LakeDecember 2, 2025
1 day ago
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.