Madonna is “profoundly grateful” to authorities for arresting the hacker who leaked her songs.
Last month 13 of her unfinished demos were unlawfully released onto the internet.
On Wednesday a male Tel Aviv resident in his late Thirties was arrested for hacking Madonna’s computer and the star has heaped praise on those who helped locate the unidentified perpetrator.
"I am profoundly grateful to the FBI, the Israeli Police investigators and anyone else who helped lead to the arrest of this hacker,” she wrote on Facebook. “I deeply appreciate my fans who have provided us with pertinent information and continue to do so regarding leaks of my music. Like any citizen, I have the right to privacy. This invasion into my life - creatively, professionally, and personally remains a deeply devastating and hurtful experience, as it must be for all artists who are victims of this type of crime."
Israeli TV's Channel 2 news reports a month-long probe into the crime was undertaken by Israel’s Lahav 433 cybercrime unit with the aid of a private investigation firm. Lahav 433 is an umbrella organisation within the Israel Police which is comparable to the FBI.
The perpetrator, whose identity authorities declined to reveal, has been charged with “computer trespassing, fraud and intellectual property offenses”, according to the the Jerusalem Post.
Apparently authorities seized computers from the hacker’s home and found he stole unreleased music from several artists in order to peddle the songs online.
In December, Madonna published six singles from her forthcoming LP Rebel Heart after the scandal took place. These half dozen songs climbed to the top of iTunes charts in nearly 40 countries.
She previously lamented over having her music stolen, posting on Instagram it was akin to “artistic rape” and “a form of terrorism”.
The pop icon will officially release Rebel Heart in March.
