The website, set up by an unidentified person or group, said it planned to release confidential school documents over the next three week in order to provide a clear account of the university’s inner workings and promote transparency, according to a report by the Montreal Gazette.
Apparently the website, named McGill-Leaks, was only able to carry out the disclosure of the certain donor information before it was shutdown, after the university conducted a forensic investigation and contacted police.
“McGill University is deeply concerned about the illegal actions of an individual or group responsible for posting on a website a considerable amount of private and confidential information from our Development and Alumni Relations data”, the university said in a statement.
“This breach of confidentiality is an attempt to hurt the wellbeing of the University, and hurts individuals whose only intent is to support our students and professors. We deeply regret this invasion of their privacy”, the statement added.
The data included information on contributions from pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and defense companies, the newspaper noted.