United States: CFWIJ condemns the online harassment of journalist Mara Hvistendahl by Oracle management

May 11, 2021, Austin- The executive vice-president of tech giant Oracle, Ken Glueck, has repeatedly targeted journalist Mara Hvistendahl after the publication of her investigative articles on the company. In his online posts targeting the journalist, Ken has repeatedly resorted to personal attacks. Mara’s employer publication, The Intercept, recently voiced their support for the journalist in an editorial piece explaining the details of her writing process and Ken Glueck’s retaliatory harassment.

Mara Hvistendahl published two investigative pieces on Oracle’s marketing campaign of their analytics software to law enforcement in China, Brazil, and United Arab Emirates as a tool for stricter surveillance. Following the publication of these articles, Oracle Executive Vice President Ken Glueck took to the company blog to respond to Mara. However, the response breached several ethical boundaries, putting the journalist at considerable risk. 

In his first blog post, Ken published Mara’s contact details, including her number registered on Signal, without permission. He went a step further in his second blog post,  asking his audience to send information about the journalist to his protonmail account. The request was later removed, though an archived version is available, hyperlinked above. Ken’s Twitter account was temporarily suspended after sharing Mara’s details, which the platform considered a violation of its terms of service. In his blog posts, the VP also leveled accusations at the journalist, claiming she had been unethical in her coverage of the issue. In its editorial, The Intercept denied the allegations and revealed the exchanges between the journalist and Oracle.

Ken Glueck’s behavior in this entire affair has been questionably unethical and domineering. His attempts to intimidate and harass Mara to discredit her work are reprehensible. The vice president's misuse of the platform to run a smear campaign against a critic raises doubt in Oracle's leadership practices. The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns Ken Glueck’s actions and demands an immediate apology.