Early this morning, Wikileaks began posting alphanumeric pager messages from four carriers (Arch, Metrocall, Skytel, and Weblink_B) that were intercepted during a 24-hour period beginning early on September 11, 2001. Alphanumeric pager messages are unencrypted, and, like communications over a public 802.11 wireless network, they’re skimmable with the right (and not exotic) software and hardware.

  • “Due to today’s tragic events, it makes sense to cut back wherever feasible on payroll. Expect a very light business day. Please call all stores and review payroll issues”
  • “RING ALL CHICAGO AIPORTS AND EVERY MAJOR BUILDING DOWNTOWN. BUSH IS DOING A SPEECH.  THIS IS SERIOUS POOH..”
  • “Holy crap, are you watching the news.”
  • “I hope you have gone home by now. The BoA tower and space needle here are closed. I suspect tall buildings across the country will be closed. Take care my love.-cb”

This might be the most interesting public data mine since the AOL breach. The total volume is far less, but unlike the AOL data, this data hasn’t been anonymized. There are full names, phone numbers, and other identifying information in the mix.