Operation Payback strikes Portugal

The 4Chan-linked pranksters that operate under the guise of Anonymous have apparently leaked the email database of the Audiovisual Trade Association of Portugal (APACOR) as retribution for its threat to wage war on The Pirate Bay.

The association, which represented Portugal's media rental outlets, had filed a request for ISPs to block The Pirate Bay with Portugal's Ministry of Culture a week prior to the beginning of Anonymous' distributed denial of service (DDoS) war.

Anonymous, which has no discernible control centre, responded by launching an attack on the website on Monday which redirected visitors to The PIrate Bay's website.

The "group" now appeared to have produced an email database that it has posted on The Pirate Bay 

"Acapor wanted to block The Pirate Bay in Portugal. We decided it had to stay up. P.S. Hire real site admins!" Anonymous stated.

Anonymous was also alleged to have been behind the leak of the email database of a UK law firm ACS:Law, a firm which was accused of cashing in on alleged illegal file-sharers.

The UK's Information Commissioner's Office has since launched an investigation into ACS:Law's role in the leak for which it now faces a £500,000 fine.