"So hacking is OK if you disagree with the political stance of the target? Is that the message we're supposed to take from this exercise in flummery?"
Did the article say it was acceptable? No, it didn't. It just reported that it had been done and reported the facts. It never said the action was morally valid, legally acceptable (it wasn't, it's a crime), or condoned by the paper. Just as it would have reported a different kind of data breech, the article covered whose data was taken, by whom, what was claimed by those who took it, and the findings of people looking at the dump.
As for your assumption that dissent isn't being tolerated by the register, I note that your comment was not removed by the moderators who are undoubtedly reading this topic closely, nor have they prevented the upvotes you have received. They are allowing your views, negative to them though they are.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
