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Anonymous uses the internet to strike back
THE HACKTIVIST GROUP Anonymous presents a less than warm face. It hides behind a Guy Fawkes mask and an empty suit and offers the world a blank, leering expression.
The group is the internet boogeyman, a seemingly intangible but very powerful force. It makes no bones about who it attacks and why, and apparently it has internal dissension at times.
Anonymous is a beast with many heads that has taken on Scientology, Sony, Fox, and the police, and has spat out offshoots in the Lulzsec and Antisec splinter groups. But is it something to fear? Well, that depends on who you are.
At a recent security event where we heard the failed stalker of hackers Aaron Barr talking about his experiences at the hands of the monster, Anonymous was high on the agenda. He spoke of its scale, its damage, and its abilities, and all the while images of its signature mask from the film V for Vendetta appeared on a screen in the background. The threat seemed very real, and the force behind it seemed scary.
But while it is shadowy, and while you might think that there are cruel, destructive hackers behind it, Anonymous is for the most part just made up of normal people. That became clear when the mug shots of people arrested for their alleged participation in a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack on Paypal were flashed on the screen.
These were students, people that might work in a bookshop, and in one case, a woman that looked more suited to lunching with her friends than launching a DDoS attack with a piece of software called the Low Orbit Ion Cannon.
Anonymous makes no secret of the fact that it is wide open and varied, of course, and has always said, "We are Legion." It's an archaic term and a pop-culture reference perhaps, but it is fitting.
There are obvious mouthpieces, like Anonymous Sabu, who is one of the more vocal and most followed Anonymous members on Twitter, and the group, where it is organised, forms into small clusters that center around a handful of IRC chats and Twitter feeds.
There is a belief system behind the group, and although it might disagree on some things it is rare that any part of the group will be censured by the others. Rather it will give its main support or it will not. Its consensus is dictated by what Anonymous members do and what they believe is important, not by who they are, how loud they shout or how many followers they have.
You will not find many government supporters or open arms among the public for Anonymous, but behind the threats, the bravado and the braggadocio there are normal people who are worried about abuses in our society and are willing to use technology to fight for what they believe is right, whatever the risk.
Anonymous is honing its weapons and says it will soon start to attack and expose those that it disagrees with in much more personal ways. It already carries out effective information hacks on its opponents, and will quickly expose any individual or organisation and all their contact details if it thinks they need a visit from a greater consciousness. See the pepper spray happy cop that it singled out at the recent Occupy protests in the US.
With improved internet protest software, access to social networking accounts and the personal goodies that they contain at its fingertips, as well as good judgment and strategy, Anonymous could make 2012 the year it will have a significant impact on society and politics. If it manages to lose its negative reputation and acquires the more positive, Robin Hood image that it deserves, that is. µ
Tags: Security
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"Robin Hood image that it deserves"
You are joking, that are akin to vigilante criminals, they are judge jury and executioner without any oversight, hiding behind their masks.
Anonymous are not good citizens they are criminals. Legally exposing unscrupulous behavior is fine but illegal hacking is not. While they are in prison someone can explain the difference to Anonymous members.
to Anonymous cimes supporters:
You have fully legal means to fight these people you think are so terrible.
Make your own websites to inform people, dont destroy those of people you disagree with.
Hold meetings and get the attention of the Press to get your complaints out.
Vote for better politicians who promise reforms or get someone you trust to run for office themselves. Make it plain that you wont vote for the ones who wont make reforms happen. Thats the legal process.
You start commiting crimes when you dont have to, you become the enemy of law and order and YOU are now the problem.
Normal people dont commit crimes, criminals do. Normal people dont support crimes being committed or the criminals.
Keep going the way you are and soon YOU will see crime as the answer to all your problems, real or imagined. You continue that way there will be no protection of law. Be certain that YOU can be hurt alot more by that happening.
I am 100% in full support of Anonymous. It is about time the greedy govt. officials,corporations, banks and abusive police officers get what they deserve. Long Live Anonymous. They are Legion. They do not forgive. They do not forget. Expect them
..and that's why your comments are pretty funny to me, @tropicalstorm. It's got nothing to do with liberals, democrats, conservatives or whatever dumb political agenda you choose to follow, and everything to do with people being fed up of being bullied, manipulated and used by governments and their cohorts. Normal people get pushed to extreme measures when they've exhausted all other avenues - the rise of Anonymous is just one of those extreme measures normal people have chosen to employ.
Article says that THEY ARE normal people.
I couldn't agree more with that -- normal people fed up with government and coroprate lies and hypocrisy who stood up to defend our freedom of speech, thought, and choice.
Today's life has turned into a slavery, with minority ruling over majority by means of fear, manipulation, invasion of privacy, and centralized control of money and resources.
Unfortunately the idividuals below who are led to believe that every hacking is a crime, are the same individuals who would gladly kill other people in war, and then say how what they did is not a crime because they killed "bad guys".
Well let me break it down for you, that is exactly what Anonymous is doing -- "killing" bad guys but WITH A PEN (keyboard) instead of SWORD.
It is time for people to stop relying on governments to tell them what is right and what is wrong because ALL GOVERNMENTS ARE CORRUPT. Use your brains instead, and judge for yourself the actions of others and whether they are done for your benefit or not.
On the other hand, if you prefer to be a slave, working in your tiny little gray cubicle from 9am to 5pm (or more), spending 4 hours a day commuting between your workplace and your suburban dormitory, and only "seeing" your friends on social networks all that while being scared of terrorists and hackers, by all means please keep burrowing your head deeper and deeper into the sand, and keep blaming Anonymous for everything -- stay a good little sheep like you have always been because, after all, sheeps ARE for fleecing.
You must be 'Confused' Confused ...
The article makes the point that 'oh they just look like normal people' - the criminals who committed crimes as mentioned - as if that is some kind of defense.
Again its just 'everyone does it, so it must be OK' defense that american liberals give to excuse criminal behavior that supports their political agenda.
Hackers who break into or disrupt other's property are criminals and should face justice like any other criminal no matter how 'normal' they look or how much YOU disagree with those who were attacked.
@alpineone so, youre saying, with a straight face, that anyone who commits a crime, any crime, is basically a murderer or child molester waiting to happen??
I hate to topple your applecart, but NORMAL people DO commit crimes.
Sorry 'StrEEtwYZe ReLiGiOn' NORMAL people dont hack others websitres and commit other crimes like that.
YOU might think they do and maybe thats your problem - you think 'everyone does it' which is a very sad excuse used by people like you.
Normal people dont commit crimes.
Criminals commit crimes. If you have done such things then YOU are a criminal too. Watch out, first one crime, then another and soon YOU will be a murderer/rapist/child molestor, since its so easy for you to think that way.
Doesnt matter if you look 'normal' if you commit crimes then YOU ARE a criminal.
He didn't say they LOOK LIKE normal people. He said they ARE normal people. And since you compared me to a serial killer, kindly allow me to compare you to a jackass.
So they look like normal people??
So do most murderers and serial rapists and most criminals in general.
So how is this supposed to be a defense for people who commit crimes.
Destroying/defacing others websites and burglerizing databases ARE crimes.
So that not important, just that they supposedly look 'normal'.
The voice of the voiceless, the megaphone of the silent an unheard. Without them, we are no one.
too much is being done against the people, eroding civil liberties! More should stand up, not just those with something to hide.
Bravo! Anonymous are the heroes who are fighting the good fight against the corruption of Government Officials kissing the feet of corporations allowing laws to be broken and breaking of laws themselves! Exposing them to the world! Hypocrites the politicians are villains and history will judge the guilty!