Anonymous (hacker group): Difference between revisions
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{{Infobox organization |
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|name = Anonymous |
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|image = Anonymous emblem.svg |
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|caption = An image commonly associated with Anonymous. The "suit without a head" represents leaderless organization and anonymity.<ref name="Lehrer">{{cite web |url=http://vimeo.com/19806469 |title=Gabriella Coleman on Anonymous |authorlink=[[Gabriella Coleman]] |date=February 9, 2011 |work=Brian Lehrer Live |publisher=Vimeo |accessdate=March 24, 2011}}</ref> |
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|archive = Talk:Anonymous (group)/Archive %(counter)d |
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|mcaption = Individuals appearing in public as Anonymous, wearing [[Guy Fawkes mask]]s. |
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|formation = 2003–present |
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|type = [[Multiple-use name]]/[[Avatar (computing)|avatar]];{{-}}[[Virtual community]];{{-}}[[Voluntary association]] |
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|purpose = anti-[[Computer surveillance|cyber-surveillance]];{{-}}anti-[[Internet censorship|cyber-censorship]];{{-}}[[Internet activism]];{{-}}[[Troll (Internet)|Internet trolling]];{{-}}[[Internet vigilantism]] |
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|region_served = Global |
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|membership = [[Decentralization|Decentralized]] [[affinity group]] |
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|Quote = "We are Anonymous. We are Legion. We do not forgive. We do not forget. Expect us.” |
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{{see also|Timeline of events associated with Anonymous}} |
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{{ArticleHistory |
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'''Anonymous''' (used as a [[mass noun]]) is a loosely associated [[hacktivism|hacktivist]] group. It (is estimated to have) originated in 2003 on the [[imageboard]] [[4chan]], representing the concept of many online and offline community users simultaneously existing as an [[anarchy|anarchic]], digitized [[global brain]].<ref name="citypaper">{{cite web |url= http://www.citypaper.com/columns/story.asp?id=15543 |publisher=[[Baltimore City Paper]] |date=April 2, 2008 |accessdate=July 3, 2008 |title=Serious Business: Anonymous Takes On Scientology (and Doesn't Afraid of Anything) |last=Landers |first=Chris| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20080608050312/http://www.citypaper.com/columns/story.asp?id=15543| archivedate= June 08 2008 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref> It is also generally considered to be a blanket term for members of certain Internet subcultures, a way to refer to the actions of people in an environment where their actual identities are not known.<ref name="ParralFeb21">{{cite news |author=Jessica Parral, James Clark |title=Internet Group Takes Action Against Scientology. Quote they use "We are Anonymous. We are Legion. We do not forgive. We do not forget. Expect us." |
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|url=http://www.cityonahillpress.com/article.php?id=1050 |work=[[City on a Hill Press]] (student newspaper) |publisher=[[University of California, Santa Cruz]] |date= February 2, 2008 |accessdate=February 21, 2008}}<!--BETTER REFERENCE FOR THIS, KTHXBAI--></ref> It strongly opposes [[Internet censorship]] and surveillance, and has hacked various government websites. It has also targeted major security corporations.<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18371297 Hacking group Anonymous takes on India Internet censorship] retrieved 11 June 2012</ref><ref>[http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2126594/anonymous-threatens-government-alleged-internet-censorship anonymous threatens government] retrieved 20 May 2012</ref><ref>Computer Hacking: Can "good" Hackers Help Fight Cybercrime? - Marcia Clemmitt, CQ Press - 2011</ref> It also opposes [[Scientology]], government corruption and [[homophobia]]. Its members can be distinguished in public by the wearing of stylised [[Guy Fawkes mask]]s.<ref>{{cite news | first = Rosie | last = Waites | title = V for Vendetta masks: Who | date = October 20, 2011 | url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15359735 |publisher=BBC News | accessdate = 2011-10-20}}</ref> |
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In its early form, the concept was adopted by a decentralized online community acting [[anonymous work|anonymously]] in a coordinated manner, usually toward a loosely self-agreed goal, and primarily [[Lulz|focused on entertainment]]. Beginning with 2008, the Anonymous collective became increasingly associated with collaborative, international hacktivism. They undertook protests and other actions in retaliation against anti-[[Copyright infringement|digital piracy]] campaigns by motion picture and recording industry trade associations.<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11371315 Activists target recording industry websites], BBC News, 20 September 2010.</ref><ref>Beaumont, Claudine. [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/internet/8013548/Music-and-film-industry-websites-targeted-in-cyber-attacks.html Music and film industry websites targeted in cyber attacks], ''The Telegraph'', September 20, 2010.</ref> Actions credited to "Anonymous" were undertaken by unidentified individuals who applied the Anonymous label to themselves as attribution.<ref name="shaundavies1">{{cite news |last=Davies |first=Shaun |title=The Internet pranksters who started a war |publisher=[[ninemsn]] |date=May 8, 2008 |url=http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=459214 |accessdate=October 29, 2008| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20080922163556/http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=459214| archivedate= September 22, 2008 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref> Some analysts{{who|date=December 2012}} praised Anonymous as the freedom fighters of the Internet,<ref name="EOAE">[http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=-JaGCnwMxQkC&pg=PA349&dq=&hl=en&sa=X&ei=9HDXT-rpC6mb1AWT3YCbBA&ved=0CEsQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=&f=false Expert Oracle Application Express] John Scott, Doug Gault, Raj Mattamal - 2011</ref> and a digital [[Robin Hood]],<ref>[http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2012/03/15/f-online-protest.html From Anonymous to shuttered websites] retrieved 18 June 2012</ref> although others{{who|date=December 2012}} have condemned them as "anarchic cyber-guerrillas".<ref name="Bloomberg 2011 4210-4221">Bloomberg Businessweek: Issues 4210-4221 2011</ref> |
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Although not necessarily tied to a single online entity, many websites are strongly associated with Anonymous. This includes notable [[imageboards]] such as 4chan, their associated [[wikis]], [[Encyclopædia Dramatica]], and a number of [[Internet forum|forums]].<ref>{{cite book|title=We Are Anonymous: Inside the Hacker World of LulzSec, Anonymous, and the Global Cyber Insurgency|author=Olson, Parmy|Publisher=Hachette Book Group|date=2012}}</ref> After a series of controversial, widely publicized protests, [[DDoS|distributed denial of service]] (DDoS) and [[website defacement]] attacks by Anonymous in 2008, incidents linked to its [[En cadre|cadre]] members have increased.<ref name="elusive">{{cite news |last=Tsotsis |first=Alexia |title=My Date with Anonymous: A Rare Interview with the Elusive Internet Troublemakers |work=[[LA Weekly]] |date=February 4, 2009 |url=http://www.laweekly.com/2009-02-05/columns/my-date-with-anonymous-a-rare-interview-with-the-illusive-internet-troublemakers/ |accessdate=February 7, 2009| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20090207051502/http://www.laweekly.com/2009-02-05/columns/my-date-with-anonymous-a-rare-interview-with-the-illusive-internet-troublemakers/| archivedate= February 07 2009 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref> In consideration of its capabilities, Anonymous has been posited by [[CNN]] to be one of the three major successors to [[WikiLeaks]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/europe/02/23/wikileaks.anonymous/index.html?hpt=C1 |title=Anonymous vows to take leaking to the next level |publisher=CNN |date=February 23, 2011 |accessdate=March 29, 2011}}</ref> In 2012, ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' named Anonymous as one of the most influential groups in the world.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2111975_2111976_2112122,00.html | work=Time | title=The 100 Most Influential People In The World | date=April 18, 2012}}</ref> |
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==Background== |
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===Origins=== |
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|action4date=16:10, 26 April 2011 |
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[[File:AnonymousOccupy.jpg|thumb|A member holding an Anonymous flier at [[Occupy Wall Street]], a protest that the group actively supported, September 17, 2011]] |
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|action4link=Talk:Anonymous (group)/GA1 |
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The name Anonymous itself is inspired by the perceived anonymity under which users post images and comments on the Internet. Usage of the term Anonymous in the sense of a shared identity began on [[imageboard]]s.<ref>{{cite book|title=We Are Anonymous: Inside the Hacker World of LulzSec, Anonymous, and the Global Cyber Insurgency|author=Olson, Parmy|Publisher=Hachette Book Group|date=2012}}</ref> A tag of Anonymous is assigned to visitors who leave comments without identifying the originator of the posted content. Users of imageboards sometimes jokingly acted as if Anonymous were a real person. The concept of the Anonymous entity advanced in 2004 when an administrator on the [[4chan]] image board activated a "Forced_Anon" protocol that signed all posts as Anonymous.<ref>{{cite book|title=We Are Anonymous: Inside the Hacker World of LulzSec, Anonymous, and the Global Cyber Insurgency|author=Olson, Parmy|Publisher=Hachette Book Group|date=2012}}</ref> As the popularity of imageboards increased, the idea of Anonymous as a collective of unnamed individuals became an [[Internet meme]].<ref name="whipple">{{cite news |last=Whipple |first=Tom |title= Scientology: the Anonymous protesters. |work=The Times |location=UK |date=June 20, 2008 |url=http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/the_way_we_live/article4173635.ece }}</ref> |
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Anonymous broadly represents the concept of any and all people as an unnamed collective. As a [[multiple-use name]], individuals who share in the "Anonymous" moniker also adopt a shared [[online identity]], characterized as [[Hedonism|hedonistic]] and uninhibited. This is intended as a satirical, conscious adoption of the [[online disinhibition effect]].<ref name="Search Engine">{{cite news |last=Brown |first=Jesse |title=Community Organization with Digital Tools: The face of Anonymous |work=MediaShift Idea Lab: Reinventing Community News for the Digital Age |publisher=[[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]] |date=February 7, 2008 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20080211091428/http://www.cbc.ca/searchengine/blog/2008/02/this_weeks_show_feb708_1.html |archivedate=Feb 11, 2008 |url= http://www.pbs.org/idealab/2008/03/community-organization-with-di.html |accessdate=March 3, 2008}}</ref> |
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|topic=Socsci |
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{{cquote|We [Anonymous] just happen to be a group of people on the internet who need{{mdash}}just kind of an outlet to do as we wish, that we wouldn't be able to do in regular society. ...That's more or less the point of it. Do as you wish. ... There's a common phrase: 'we are doing it for the lulz.'|||Trent Peacock. ''[[Search Engine (radio show)|Search Engine]]: The face of Anonymous'', February 7, 2008.<ref name="Search Engine"/>}} |
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{{WikiProjectBanners|1= |
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Definitions tend to emphasize that the concept, and by extension the collective of users, cannot be readily encompassed by a simple definition. Instead Anonymous is often defined by [[aphorism]]s describing perceived qualities.<ref name="citypaper"/> One self-description, originating from a protest video targeted at the Church of Scientology, is: |
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{{WikiProject Comedy| class =B| importance =low}} |
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<blockquote>We are Anonymous. We are Legion. We do not forgive. We do not forget. Expect us.<ref>[We Are Anonymous, We Are Legion], ''Yale Law and Technology'', November 9, 2009</ref></blockquote> |
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{{WikiProject Computer Security|class=B|importance=low}} |
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{{WikiProject Human rights|importance=low|class=B}} |
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===Overview=== |
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{{WP Internet culture|class=B|importance=High}} |
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{{Rquote|right|[Anonymous is] the first Internet-based [[superconsciousness]]. Anonymous is a group, in the sense that a flock of birds is a group. How do you know they're a group? Because they're traveling in the same direction. At any given moment, more birds could join, leave, peel off in another direction entirely.|Chris Landers. ''[[Baltimore City Paper]]'', April 2, 2008.<ref name="citypaper"/>}} |
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{{WikiProject Media|class=B|importance=Low}} |
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Anonymous consists largely of users from multiple imageboards and [[Internet forums]]. In addition, several [[wiki]]s and [[Internet Relay Chat]] networks are maintained to overcome the limitations of traditional imageboards. These modes of communication are the means by which Anonymous protesters participating in [[Project Chanology]] communicate and organize upcoming protests.<ref name="George-Cosh">{{cite news |last=George-Cosh |first=David |title=Online group declares war on Scientology |work=National Post |location=Canada |publisher=[[CanWest Global Communications|Canwest Publishing Inc.]] |date=January 25, 2008 |accessdate=January 25, 2008 |url=http://www.nationalpost.com/most_popular/story.html?id=261308 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20080129063500/http://www.nationalpost.com/most_popular/story.html?id=261308 |archivedate= January 29, 2008}}</ref><ref name="SingelWar">{{cite news |author=[[Ryan Singel]] |title=War Breaks Out Between Hackers and Scientology – There Can Be Only One |work=[[Wired News]] |date=January 23, 2008 |url=http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/01/anonymous-attac.html |accessdate=January 25, 2008| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20080124213343/http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/01/anonymous-attac.html| archivedate= January 24, 2008 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref> |
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{{WikiProject Scientology|class=B|importance=Low}} |
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}} |
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A "loose coalition of Internet denizens,"<ref name="JamesHarrison"/> the group bands together through the Internet, using IRC channels<ref name="George-Cosh"/> and sites such as 4chan,<ref name="George-Cosh"/><ref name="JamesHarrison"/> 711chan,<ref name="George-Cosh"/> [[Encyclopædia Dramatica]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=459249 |last=Davies |first=Shaun |title=Critics point finger at satirical website |work=National Nine News |date=May 8, 2008}}</ref> and YouTube.<ref name="ParralFeb21"/> [[Social networking service]]s, such as Facebook, are used for to mobilize groups for real-world protests.<ref name="HowardDahdah">{{cite news |last=Dahdah |first= Howard |title={{-'}}Anonymous' group declares online war on Scientology |work=[[Computerworld]]: The Voice of IT Management |publisher=[[IDG|IDG Communications]] |url=http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;632197333 |date=February 8, 2008 |accessdate=February 8, 2008| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20080213094432/http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;632197333| archivedate= February 13, 2008 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref> |
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{{split from|page=Timeline of events involving Anonymous |diff= http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Anonymous_%28group%29&curid=15716827&diff=459424082&oldid=459379512 |date=07 November 2011}} |
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{{high traffic|date=27 July 2009|site=Slashdot|url=http://tech.slashdot.org/story/09/07/27/054230/ATampT-Blocks-Part-of-4chan|small=|page=|linktext|afterlinktext|date2=|site2=|page2=|...|date10=|site10=|page10=}} |
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{{To do}} |
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{{FAQ|collapsed=no}} |
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Anonymous has no leader or controlling party and relies on the collective power of its individual participants acting in such a way that the net effect benefits the group.<ref name="JamesHarrison">{{cite news |author=James Harrison |title=Scientology protesters take action around world |work=[[The State News]] (student newspaper) |url=http://www.lansinglowdown.com/index.php/blog/entertainment/2008/02/internet_group__ |publisher=[[Michigan State University]] |date=February 12, 2008 |accessdate=February 25, 2008}}</ref> "Anyone who wants to can be Anonymous and work toward a set of goals..." a member of Anonymous explained to the ''[[Baltimore City Paper]].'' "We have this agenda that we all agree on and we all coordinate and act, but all act independently toward it, without any want for recognition. We just want to get something that we feel is important done..."<ref name="citypaper"/> Anonymous members have previously collaborated with hacker group [[LulzSec]].{{cn|date=January 2013}} |
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== Anonymous hacking Israel's government websites in response to Operation Pillar of Cloud == |
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===Membership=== |
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http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/anonymous-targets-israeli-websites-response-gaza-conflict-1C7106339 |
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It is impossible to 'join' Anonymous, as there is no leadership, no ranking, and no single means of communication. Anonymous is spread over many mediums and languages, with membership being achieved simply by wishing to join.<ref>http://www.cyberguerrilla.info/?p=1591 {{deadlink|date=January 2013}}</ref> |
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[[File:Anonymous-Bruxelles.jpg|thumb|Anonymous protestors at the [[Brussels Stock Exchange]], Belgium, January 2012]] |
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====Commander X and the People's Liberation Front==== |
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I think this deserves a mention, but I'm not sure how to do it. <span style="font-size: smaller;" class="autosigned">— Preceding [[Wikipedia:Signatures|unsigned]] comment added by [[Special:Contributions/78.191.53.78|78.191.53.78]] ([[User talk:78.191.53.78|talk]]) 18:33, 16 November 2012 (UTC)</span><!-- Template:Unsigned IP --> <!--Autosigned by SineBot--> |
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A person known as Commander X provided interviews and videos about Anonymous.<ref>{{cite web|author=by Commander X |url=http://vimeo.com/21608403 |title=Anonymous on Vimeo |publisher=Vimeo.com |accessdate=August 30, 2011}}</ref> In 2011, he was at the center of an investigation into Anonymous by [[HBGary]] CEO Aaron Barr, who claimed to have identified him as a San Francisco gardener. Interviewed following the [[Timeline of events involving Anonymous#Attack on HBGary Federal|attack on HBGary Federal]], Commander X revealed that while Barr suspected that he was a leader of the group, he was in his own words a "peon". However, Commander X did claim to be a skilled hacker and founding member of an allied organization, the Peoples Liberation Front (PLF).<ref>{{cite web|title=Peoples Liberation Front|url=http://www.peoplesliberationfront.tk/|work=Activist website|publisher=Peoples Liberation Front|accessdate=3 December 2012}}</ref> According to Commander X, Peoples Liberation Front, a collective of hactivists founded in 1985, acted with AnonOps, another sub-group of Anonymous, to carry out denial-of-service (DDOS) attacks against government websites in Tunisia, Iran, Egypt, and Bahrain. Explaining the relationship between Anonymous and the PLF, he suggested an analogy to [[NATO]], with the PLF being a smaller sub-group that could choose to opt in or out of a specific project. "AnonOps and the PLF are both capable of creating huge "Internet armies". The main difference is AnonOps moves with huge force, but very slowly because of their decision making process. The PLF moves with great speed, like a scalpel."<ref name="Tynan">{{cite web |url=http://www.itworld.com/internet/137590/conversation-commander-x?page=0%2C0 |title=A conversation with Commander X |first=Dan |last=Tynan |date=February 18, 2011 |publisher=ITworld.com |publisher=[[IDG]]}}</ref> On September 23, 2011, a homeless man in California named Christopher Doyon was arrested and stated by officials to have used the Commander X screen name.<ref>{{cite news|title=Feds: Homeless hacker 'Commander X' arrested|last=Doran|first=Miles|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31727_162-20110912-10391695.html|publisher=CBS|accessdate=September 28, 2011}}</ref> He pleaded not guilty.<ref>{{cite web|title=Alleged 'Commander X' Anonymous hacker pleads not guilty|last=Mills|first=Elinor|url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-20111057-245/alleged-commander-x-anonymous-hacker-pleads-not-guilty/|publisher=CNET|accessdate=September 28, 2011}}</ref> |
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====Low Orbit Ion Cannon==== |
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== Add hacker under "Arrests" section == |
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{{main|LOIC}} |
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The Low Orbit Ion Cannon is a network stress testing application that has been used by Anonymous to accomplish its DDOS attacks. Individual users download the LOIC and voluntarily contribute their computer to a bot net. This bot net is then directed against the target by AnonOps.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Rogers|first=Tim|url=http://www.dmagazine.com/Home/D_Magazine/2011/April/How_Barrett_Brown_Helped_Overthrow_the_Government_of_Tunisia.aspx?p=1 |title=Barrett Brown is Anonymous |work=D magazine |date=May 9, 2011 |accessdate=April 1, 2011}}</ref> Joining the bot net and volunteering one's resources for the use of the group is thus one way of being a "member," a concept that is otherwise hard to define. |
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==Activities== |
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It may be worth adding the details of the Anonymous hacker James Jeffery who was arrested on March the 9th 2012 for the Anti Abortion campagain. I remember seeing this on the news. According to sources he was sentanced on April the 13th to 32 months. Lots of credible sources can be found on Google by searching the keyword 'james jeffery hacker' or 'james jeffery anonymous'. <small><span class="autosigned">— Preceding [[Wikipedia:Signatures|unsigned]] comment added by [[User:Joojar|Joojar]] ([[User talk:Joojar|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/Joojar|contribs]]) 11:31, 17 November 2012 (UTC)</span></small><!-- Template:Unsigned --> <!--Autosigned by SineBot--> |
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{{Main|Timeline of events associated with Anonymous}} |
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===The Pirate Bay=== |
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== Request to delete the VIDEO == |
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In April 2009, after [[The Pirate Bay]] co-defendants were found guilty of facilitating extensive copyright infringement "in a commercial and organized form", Anonymous launched a coordinated DDoS attack against the [[International Federation of the Phonographic Industry]] (IFPI), an organisation responsible for safeguarding recording artists' rights.<ref>Leyden, John. [http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/04/20/ddos_hacktivism_pirate_bay/ Music industry sites DDoSed after Pirate Bay verdict], The Register, April 20, 2009.</ref> When co-founders lost their appeal against convictions for encouraging piracy, Anonymous again targeted the IFPI, labelling them "parasites". A statement read: "We will continue to attack those who embrace censorship. You will not be able to hide your ludicrous ways to control us."<ref>Moya, Jared. [http://www.zeropaid.com/news/91404/operation-payback-targets-ifpi-for-pirate-bay-verdict/ Operation: Payback Targets IFPI for Pirate Bay Verdict], zeropaid.com. November 29, 2010.</ref><ref>Constantin, Lucian. [http://news.softpedia.com/news/Anonymous-Attacks-IFPI-After-The-Pirate-Bay-Loses-Appeal-169380.shtml], Softpedia, November 29, 2010.</ref> |
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[[File:Anonymous (hacktivist) group supporters at an October 29, 2011 rally in Oklahoma City.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Anonymous supporters at an [[Occupy movement|Occupy]] [[Oklahoma City|OKC]] rally near the [[Oklahoma State Capitol]] Building.]] |
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Could someone a favor with us and delete a video from youtube which is against Muslim and Islam? |
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©Copy Right Jamat ud dawah <span style="font-size: smaller;" class="autosigned">— Preceding [[Wikipedia:Signatures|unsigned]] comment added by [[Special:Contributions/182.177.18.177|182.177.18.177]] ([[User talk:182.177.18.177|talk]]) 15:36, 17 November 2012 (UTC)</span><!-- Template:Unsigned IP --> <!--Autosigned by SineBot--> |
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:The video is about Scientology. Not Islam. --[[User:Futuretrillionaire| FutureTrillionaire]] ([[User talk:Futuretrillionaire|talk]]) 02:57, 29 November 2012 (UTC) |
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===Megaupload=== |
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== I suggest an "Anonymous in popular culture" section == |
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On January 19, 2012, [[Megaupload]], a website providing [[file-sharing]] services, was shut down by the [[US Department of Justice]] (DOJ) and the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] (FBI).<ref name="MegauploadNYT">{{cite news |last=Sisario |first=Ben |date=January 20, 2012 |title=7 Charged as F.B.I. Closes a Top File-Sharing Site |work=The New York Times |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/21/technology/megaupload-indictment-internet-piracy.html |accessdate=January 21, 2012}}</ref> In the hours following the shutdown, hackers took down the sites of the DOJ and FBI, as well as the [[Motion Picture Association of America]] (MPAA), the [[Recording Industry Association of America]] (RIAA), and [[Broadcast Music, Inc.]] (BMI) using [[distributed denial-of-service]] (DDoS) attacks.<ref name=BBC120 /> Barrett Brown, described as a spokesperson for Anonymous, called the attack "the single largest Internet attack in [Anonymous'] history".<ref name="RTMegauploadDOS">{{cite web |date=January 20, 2012 |title=Internet strikes back: Anonymous' Operation Megaupload explained |work=[[RT (TV network)|RT]] |url=http://rt.com/usa/news/anonymous-barrettbrown-sopa-megaupload-241/ |accessdate=January 21, 2012}}</ref> With the protests against the [[Stop Online Piracy Act]] (SOPA) protests only a day old, Brown stated that internet users were "by-and-far ready to defend an open Internet".<ref name="RTMegauploadDOS"/> |
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Although the actions of Anonymous received support,{{cn|date=January 2013}} some commentators argued that the denial of service attack risked damaging the anti-SOPA case. Molly Wood of [[CNET]] wrote that "[i]f the SOPA/PIPA protests were the Web's moment of inspiring, non-violent, hand-holding civil disobedience, #OpMegaUpload feels like the unsettling wave of car-burning hooligans that sweep in and incite the riot portion of the play."<ref>{{cite news | last = Wood | first = Molly | authorlink = Molly Wood | date = January 19, 2012 | title = Anonymous goes nuclear; everybody loses? | publisher = CNET | url = http://news.cnet.com/8301-31322_3-57362437-256/anonymous-goes-nuclear-everybody-loses/ | accessdate =January 21, 2012 }}</ref> Dwight Silverman of the ''[[Houston Chronicle]]'' concurred, stating that "Anonymous' actions hurt the movement to kill SOPA/PIPA by highlighting online lawlessness".<ref>{{cite news | last = Jonsson | first = Patrik | date = January 21, 2012 | title = SOPA: Feds go after Megaupload as Congress reviews anti-piracy bills | work = The Christian Science Monitor | url = http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/sopa-feds-go-after-megaupload-congress-reviews-anti-piracy-bills | accessdate =January 22, 2012 }}</ref> The [[Oxford Internet Institute]]'s Joss Wright wrote that "In one sense the actions of Anonymous are themselves, anonymously and unaccountably, censoring websites in response to positions with which they disagree."<ref name=BBC120>{{cite news | last = Kelion | first = Leo | date = January 20, 2012 | title = Hackers retaliate over Megaupload website shutdown |publisher=BBC News | url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16646023 | accessdate =January 21, 2012 }}</ref> |
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I was surprised that there are no such section in the article, whereas I'm aware of at least two references of Anonymous (or people wearing the related mask) in popular culture. But I bet there are more occurences (probably either in The Simpsons, South Park or Family Guy, as these shows reflect on popular culture and current events). |
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===Government websites=== |
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Anonymous claimed responsibility for taking down government websites in the UK in April 2012 in protest against government extradition and surveillance policies. A message was left on Twitter saying it was "for your draconian surveillance proposals".<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/apr/08/anonymous-taking-down-government-websites Anonymous claims responsibility for taking down government sites] retrieved 11 June 2012</ref> |
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===Occupy movement=== |
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The two occurences that I know about: |
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Anonymous activists merged with [[Occupy Wall Street]] protesters. Anonymous members descended on New York's Zucotti Park and organized it partly. After it became known that some Occupy protesters would get violent, Anonymous used social networking to urge Occupy protesters to avoid disorder. Anonymous used Twitter trends to keep protests peaceful.<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/sep/27/occupy-wall-street-anonymous How Anonymous emerged to Occupy Wall Street] retrieved 11 June 2012</ref> |
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A similar protest occurred outside the [[London Stock Exchange]] in early May 2012 during a May Day Occupy protest.<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/may/01/occupy-movement-london-stock-exchange Occupy movement takes over parts of London Stock Exchange] retrieved 11 June 2012</ref> |
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* In the hungarian TV series '''''Hacktion''''' (which is probably notable enough in it's own right), in the first episode, police officers talk about Anonymous, LulzSec and their actions and motives, and there is a picture shown about protesters wearing Guy Fawkes masks. |
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=== Internet pedophilia === |
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* In the official music video for Nicky Romero's song '''''Toulouse''''', there is a bunch of people walking on the street wearing Guy Fawkes masks, and they proceed to make other people wear masks too and join them. |
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Alleged Internet predator Chris Forcand, 53, was charged with child sexual and firearm offenses.<ref name="PoliceReport">{{cite news |author=Constable George Schuurman, Public Information, for Detective Constable Janelle Blackadar, Sex Crimes Unit |title=Man facing six charges in Child Exploitation investigation, Photograph released, Chris Forcand, 53 |work=News Release |publisher=[[Toronto Police Service]] |date=December 6, 2007}}</ref> A newspaper report stated that Forcand was already being tracked by "cyber-[[vigilante]]s before police investigations commenced.<ref name="Jenkins">{{cite news |author=Jonathan Jenkins |title=Man trolled the web for girls: cops |url= http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Crime/2007/12/07/4712680-sun.html |work=Toronto Sun |date=December 7, 2007 |accessdate=February 19, 2008}}</ref> A [[Global Television Network|television report]] identified a "self-described Internet vigilante group called Anonymous" who contacted the police after some members were "propositioned" by Forcand. The report stated this was the first time a suspected Internet predator was arrested by the police as a result of [[Internet vigilantism]].<ref name="Kim">{{cite news |author=[http://www.canada.com/globaltv/ontario/personalities/story.html?id=ff2d5236-9ff0-4ea7-b8ab-1123d851219b Gus Kim] (reporter) |title=Internet Justice? |work=[[Global Television Network|Global News]] |publisher=[[CanWest Global Communications]] |date=December 8, 2007}}</ref> |
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In October 2011, "Operation Darknet" was launched as an attempt to cease the activities of child porn sites accessed through hidden services in the [[deep web]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45147364/ns/technology_and_science-security/|title=Anonymous releases IP addresses of alleged child porn viewers|last=Liebowitz|first=Matt |date=3 November 2011|publisher=[[MSNBC]]|accessdate=25 January 2012}}</ref> Anonymous published in a [[pastebin]] link what it claimed were the user names of 1,589 members of Lolita City, a child porn site accessed via the Tor network. Anonymous said that it had found the site via The Hidden Wiki, and that it contained over 100 [[gigabyte]]s of child pornography. Anonymous launched a [[denial-of-service attack]] to take Lolita City offline.{{Citation needed|date=June 2012|reason=RS needed for every claim here}} |
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===Religious organisations=== |
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{{Main|Project Chanology|Operation Ouraborus}} |
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[[File:Message to Scientology.ogv|thumb|left|300px|"[[Message to Scientology]]", January 21, 2008]] |
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The group gained worldwide press for Project Chanology, the protest against the [[Church of Scientology]].<ref name="FOXN">{{cite news |last=Richards |first=Johnathan (''[[The Times]]'') |title=Hackers Declare War on Scientology: A shadowy Internet group has succeeded in taking down a Scientology Web site after effectively declaring war on the church and calling for it to be destroyed. |publisher=Fox News Network, LLC. |date=January 25, 2008 |url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,325586,00.html |accessdate=January 25, 2008}}</ref> |
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The project started in response to the Church of Scientology's attempts to remove material from a highly publicized interview with [[Scientologist]] [[Tom Cruise]] from the Internet in January 2008. The project was launched in the form of a video posted to [[YouTube]], "Message to Scientology", on January 21, 2008. The video stated that [[Scientology versus the Internet|Anonymous views Scientology's actions]] as [[Internet censorship]], and asserted the group's intent to "expel the church from the Internet". |
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I know these have to be supported by citations, so maybe I'll look for some later. --[[User:Rev-san|Rev L. Snowfox]] ([[User talk:Rev-san|talk]]) 21:04, 4 December 2012 (UTC) |
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In early 2011, the organisation targeted the [[Westboro Baptist Church]], releasing several videos on a range of related topics, such as their controversial preaching against [[homosexuality]]. Several attacks were made on the primary website, one that was made while [[Shirley Phelps-Roper]] was debating [[Topiary (hacktivist)|Topiary]] (Jake Davis) a representative of Anonymous in a televised interview on the [[David Pakman Show]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Olson|first=Parmy|title=We Are Anonymous: Inside the Hacker World of LulzSec, Anonymous andthe Global Cyber Insurgency|publisher=Little, Brown|date=2012}}</ref> Anonymous carried out another attack on December 16, 2012 in response to Westboro's picketing of funerals for the victims of the [[Newtown Massacre]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Hackers attack Westboro Baptist Church for picketing Sandy Hook|url=http://now.msn.com/anonymous-hacks-westboro-baptist-church?ocid=ansnow11|accessdate=17 December 2012|newspaper=MSN|date=16 Dec 2012}}</ref> Anonymous is also supporting a petition to the [[White House]] to formally recognize the Westboro Baptist Church as a [[hate group]].<ref>[http://now.msn.com/westboro-baptist-church-hate-group-petition-sent-to-white-house Westboro Baptist Church hate group petition sent to White House]</ref> |
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== connection between 4chan and anonymous and anonymous culture == |
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===LGBT issues=== |
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I'm not sure the extended section on 4chan users is really necessary in this article. Here's my formal sounding original reasoning that I thought started sounding too formal: |
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On August 2012 Anonymous hacked into [[Ugandan government]] websites in protest of the pending [[Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Bill]]. A message stated : |
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:"Anonymous will continue to target Ugandan government sites and communications until the government of Uganda treats all people including [[LGBT]] people equally".<ref>[http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2012/08/15/anonymous-hack-into-ugandan-government-websites-in-protest-at-their-anti-lgbt-policies/ Anonymous hack into Ugandan government websites in protest at their anti-LGBT policies] retrieved 15 July 2012</ref> |
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Parmy cited one research project that found that as many as thirty per cent of posters on 4chan fell into the [[LGBT]] category, posters often pretending to be the opposite sex.<ref>{{cite book|title=We Are Anonymous: Inside the Hacker World of LulzSec, Anonymous, and the Global Cyber Insurgency|author=Olson, Parmy|publisher=Hachette Book Group|year=2012}}</ref> |
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Anonymous declared they were going to destroy the anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church in reaction to the church claiming they would picket the funerals of the victims of the [[Sandy_Hook_Elementary_School_shooting|Connecticut school shootings]]. The group hacked into the church's website, releasing the personal information of all church members. On December 21, 2012, the group successfully launched a [[DDoS attack]] on the church's website and hacked into the Twitter account of Shirley Phelps-Roper.<ref>{{cite web|title=Anonymous Targets Westboro Baptist Church After Newtown Vigil Protest Threat|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/17/westboro-baptist-church-hacked-anonymous-protest-newtown-shooting-victims-funerals_n_2315070.html|work=Huffington Post|accessdate=18 December 2012}}</ref> |
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As it stands, the lines drawn between those three things are rather thin. While Anonymous does profit from Anonymity, and 4chan users can profit from anonymity, I think there needs to be a more direct connection ''shown in this article'' before there needs to be an extended section upon 4chan within the article. Consider it like this: |
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===Cyber-attacks and other activities=== |
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My father doesn't like potatoes. Turnip eaters often don't like potatoes. My father must eat turnips. |
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The group is responsible for cyber-attacks on the [[Pentagon (building)|Pentagon]], News Corp and has also threatened to destroy [[Facebook]].<ref>[http://www.businessinsider.com/anonymous-facebook-2011-8 Hacker Group Anonymous Vows To Destroy Facebook On November 5] retrieved 11 June 2012</ref> |
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Anonymous profits from anonymity. 4chan users profit from anonymity. Anonomous members must be 4chan members. |
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In October 2011, Anonymous hackers threatened the Mexican drug cartel known as [[Los Zetas]] in an online video after one of their members was kidnapped.<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/video/2011/oct/31/anonymous-hackers-mexican-drug-cartel Anonymous hackers threaten Mexican drug cartel] retrieved 11 June 2012</ref> |
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I don't doubt that there are many participants in Anonymous that use 4chan, I'm just not sure it is relevant to the point of extended discussion of Anonymous ''unless''' there is proof that 4chan was the main location where Anonymous was organized. There have been several sites akin to 4chan both preceding and following, and in addition IRC also served as a gathering place for anonymous individuals to share information collectively - including early hackers. A discussion of 4chan as a subset of anonymous culture should be listed on [[cyberculture]] and [[4chan]] and if necessary on a new page dedicated to [[anonymous(culture)]]. This article purports to be about Anonymous as a loosely associated hacktivist group - the focus, thus, should be on Anonymous(group) [[User:L.cash.m|L.cash.m]] ([[User talk:L.cash.m|talk]]) 23:10, 16 December 2012 (UTC) |
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In late May 2012 alleged Anonymous members claimed responsibility for taking down a GM crops website.<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/may/28/gm-crop-trial-website-cyber-attack GM crop-trial website taken down by cyber-attack] retrieved 28 May 2012</ref> |
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:: removing the section in question as the next section goes over the same information in a much more condensed manner and directly relates it to Anonymous. Posting the section here in case anyone has objections or wants to review the decision. |
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---- |
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:::===Iconography and aesthetics=== |
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:As a [[cyberculture]], Anonymous aesthetics are based in various forms of [[shock humor]], including genres of [[cringe comedy|cringe]], [[surreal humor|surreal]], and [[black comedy]]. Many people affiliated with Anonymous associate with the Guy Fawkes mask (popularized by the [[V for Vendetta]] comic book series and movie), either at protests, or within images spread online.<ref name="Search Engine">{{cite news |last=Brown |first=Jesse |title=Community Organization with Digital Tools: The face of Anonymous |work=MediaShift Idea Lab: Reinventing Community News for the Digital Age |publisher=[[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]] |date=February 7, 2008 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20080211091428/http://www.cbc.ca/searchengine/blog/2008/02/this_weeks_show_feb708_1.html |archivedate=Feb 11, 2008 |url= http://www.pbs.org/idealab/2008/03/community-organization-with-di.html |accessdate=March 3, 2008}}</ref> |
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In early September 2012 alleged Anonymous members claimed responsibility for taking down GoDaddy's Domain Name Servers, affecting small businesses around the globe. <ref>{{cite web|last=Finley|first=Klint|title=GoDaddy Outage Takes Down Millions Of Sites, Anonymous Member Claims Responsibility|url=http://techcrunch.com/2012/09/10/godaddy-outage-takes-down-millions-of-sites/|publisher=Tech Crunch|accessdate=10 September 2012}}</ref> |
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:Anonymous culture originated on image boards such as [http://www.4chan.org 4chan.net], which are discussion boards (presaged by a Japanese [[Anime]] website called 2chan begun by Hiroyuki Nishimura, a college student in 1999<ref>{{cite web|last=mona_jpn|title=Futaba Channel (2chan)|url=http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/sites/futaba-channel-2chan|publisher=Know Your Meme|accessdate=2 December 2012}}</ref>)<ref>{{cite book|title=We Are Anonymous: Inside the Hacker World of LulzSec, Anonymous, and the Global Cyber Insurgency|author=Olson, Parmy|Publisher=Hachette Book Group|date=2012}}</ref>. When the Japanese 2chan website became embarrassed by the discussions of violence in English on their site, they began to ban English posts. [[Christopher Poole]] (aged 14) responded by setting up 4chan.net (now 4chan.org) in 2003. |
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In mid-September 2012, Anonymous hackers threatened the Hong Kong government organization, known as National Education Centre. In their online video, Anonymous members claimed responsibility for leaking classified government documents and taking down the National Education Centre website, after the Hong Kong government repeatedly ignored months of wide-scale protests against the establishment of a new core [[Moral and National Education]] curriculum for children from 6-18 years of age. The new syllabus came under heavy criticism and international media attention, as it does not award students based on how much factual information is learned, but instead grades and evaluates students based on their level of emotional attachment and approval of the [[Communist Party of China]], almost in blind brain-washing fashion. <ref>[http://hk.dv.nextmedia.com/actionnews/local/20120916/18017424/20001202 攻陷國教網站 黑客匿名:要革命!] retrieved 16 Sep 2012</ref> |
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:One form of humor on the 4chan image boards are [[meme|memes]]. [[Internet meme]]s are thought to have originated with a picture of [[Sean Connery]] accompanied by a quote from the movie [[Finding Forrester]]:<ref>{{cite web|title=You're the Man Now, Dog|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VvgspV2fcI|work=Video clip|publisher=YouTube|accessdate=2 December 2012}}</ref> "You're the man now, dog!" emblazoned in large font across the picture.<ref>{{cite web|last=imthegenius|title=You're the Man Now, Dog|url=http://www.celebremix.com/remixes/view/1999|work=Meme|publisher=Celebremix|accessdate=2 December 2012}}</ref> Memes are often referred to as [[YTMND]]s (an abbreviation for the Connery quote). Pictures are as varied as famous people or cuddly kittens, with ironic or sarcastic captions. |
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===Israel=== |
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:Another form of humor on the 4chan discussion boards was making fun of people who didn't understand how the internet worked, often by referring to the "Internets".<ref>{{cite web|last=blog.devicerandom|title=Serious business, at last|url=http://blog.devicerandom.org/2010/12/10/serious-business-at-last/|work=blog|accessdate=2 December 2012}}</ref> Irony and sarcasm were the rule. Hard core porn, child porn,<ref>{{cite web|title=4chan|url=http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/sites/4chan|publisher=Know Your Meme|accessdate=2 December 2012}}</ref> cat torture<ref>{{cite web|title=Zippocat|url=http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=zippocat|work=Definition|publisher=Urban Dictionary|accessdate=2 December 2012}}</ref> and bodily dismemberment were used as humor on these boards.<ref>{{cite book|title=We Are Anonymous: Inside the Hacker World of LulzSec, Anonymous, and the Global Cyber Insurgency|author=Olson, Parmy|Publisher=Hachette Book Group|date=2012}}</ref> Parmy theorized that these images, creating fake persona online, lying online to fellow hackers as well as lying to authorities, created a depersonalization and desensitization to self and others.<ref>{{cite book|title=We Are Anonymous: Inside the Hacker World of LulzSec, Anonymous, and the Global Cyber Insurgency|author=Olson, Parmy|Publisher=Hachette Book Group|date=2012}}</ref> Parmy also theorized that many of those drawn to image boards such as 4chan were social outcasts in the real world, who could become someone important on these boards, and who often wanted to make others online feel the same sense of isolation and pain they experienced on a daily basis at school or work.<ref>{{cite book|title=We Are Anonymous: Inside the Hacker World of LulzSec, Anonymous, and the Global Cyber Insurgency|author=Olson, Parmy|Publisher=Hachette Book Group|date=2012}}</ref> Occasionally a suicidal poster on the image boards was encouraged by a group of posters to go ahead and kill himself.<ref>{{cite web|title=4chan causes suicide LOL|url=http://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?topic=314791.0|publisher=Get Big|accessdate=2 December 2012}}</ref> On 4chan the posters usually called each other "fag" (previously American derogatory slang for gay). Moralfags were those that had a political agenda, an idea abhorrent to many posters, who wanted a judgement free environment online.<ref>{{cite web|title=Moralfag|url=http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=moralfag|work=Definition|publisher=Urban Dictionary|accessdate=2 December 2012}}</ref> Leaderfags were those who organized and got things going. Newfags were posters new to the board.<ref>{{cite book|title=We Are Anonymous: Inside the Hacker World of LulzSec, Anonymous, and the Global Cyber Insurgency|author=Olson, Parmy|Publisher=Hachette Book Group|date=2012}}</ref> Parmy cited one research project that found that as many as thirty per cent of posters on 4chan fell into the [[LGBT]] category, posters often pretending to be the opposite sex.<ref>{{cite book|title=We Are Anonymous: Inside the Hacker World of LulzSec, Anonymous, and the Global Cyber Insurgency|author=Olson, Parmy|Publisher=Hachette Book Group|date=2012}}</ref> While some contented themselves with prank online phone calls (with a group of posters listening in), or making bets, the loser having to post a picture of himself with a shoe on his head<ref>{{cite web|title=Shoe on Head|url=http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/put-shoe-on-head|work=Definition|publisher=Know Your Meme|accessdate=2 December 2012}}</ref> , others on 4chan would befriend some random popular young person on Facebook with a relationship status of "in a relationship" and gather enough information to figure out his/her Facebook password (using fake Facebook pages they had created), then take over the popular person's Facebook account (followed closely by a group of 4chan posters in a chat room). 4chan users took especial pleasure when they could threaten someone and extort a nude photo of the person in exchange for a promise not to humiliate them on their Facebook account that had just been co-opted, then they would break their promise, posting the photo on the Facebook page they had taken over, preferably in the person's mother's newsfeed. If they could break the person up with their boyfriend or girlfriend that was an especially hilarious bonus.<ref>{{cite book|title=We Are Anonymous: Inside the Hacker World of LulzSec, Anonymous, and the Global Cyber Insurgency|author=Olson, Parmy|Publisher=Hachette Book Group|date=2012}}</ref> These activities were termed "Lulz", a variant of the LOL abbreviation (for Laughing Out Loud).<ref>{{cite web|title=Lulz|url=http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=lulz|work=Definition|publisher=Urban Dictionary|accessdate=2 December 2012}}</ref>[[User:L.cash.m|L.cash.m]] ([[User talk:L.cash.m|talk]]) 21:09, 19 December 2012 (UTC) |
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In response to [[Operation Pillar of Cloud]] in November 2012, Anonymous launched a series of attacks on Israeli government websites. Anonymous protested what they called the "barbaric, brutal and despicable treatment of the Palestinian people".<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2012/11/17/anonymous-is-hacking-israeli-web-sites/ Anonymous is hacking Israeli Web sites] retrieved 18 November 2012</ref> |
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===Syria=== |
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{{reflist-talk|close=1}} |
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On November 30, 2012, the group declared an operation to shut down websites of the Syrian government, in response to a internet blackout the previous day believed to be imposed by Syrian authorities in an attempt to silence opposition groups of the [[Syrian civil war]].<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/30/us-syria-crisis-internet-idUSBRE8AT0PN20121130 | title=Global hacking network declares Internet war on Syria | date=November 30, 2012 | agency=Reuters | accessdate=November 30, 2012}}</ref> |
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---- |
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:Well, the Orson Parry source says that the concept of "Anonymous" originated from 4chan. This statement is still in the lead, but it has disappeared from the article when removing this section. This narrow fact should be in [[Anonymous_(group)#Overview]]. --[[User:Enric Naval|Enric Naval]] ([[User talk:Enric Naval|talk]]) 14:12, 21 December 2012 (UTC) |
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==Impact== |
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:: Can you be more specific on this source for me? Is he claiming that Anonymous culture originated there, or that the group Anonymous did? Does he provide valid sources for this information within the context of his book, and what is the specific claim that he made -- "Informal organization of Anonymous etc etc" or "in a post in early 2003, one of 4chan's users suggested forming a group named ..... " I'd love to add it back but I'm not sure what exact connection is drawn in the Parry book. Thanks! [[User:L.cash.m|L.cash.m]] ([[User talk:L.cash.m|talk]]) 01:13, 22 December 2012 (UTC) |
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===Reception=== |
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[[Image:Anonymous Fox 11.jpg|thumb|[[KTTV]] Fox 11 investigative report on Anonymous.]] |
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On July 26, 2007, [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] affiliate [[KTTV]] in Los Angeles, California aired a report on Anonymous, calling them a group of "[[Hacker (computer security)|hackers]] on steroids," "domestic terrorists," and collectively an "Internet hate machine." The report covered an attack on a Myspace user, who claimed to have had his Myspace account "hacked" into seven times by Anonymous, and plastered with images of [[gay pornography]]. The Myspace user also claimed a virus written by Anonymous hackers was sent to him and to ninety friends on his Myspace contact list, crashing thirty-two of his friends' computers. The report featured an unnamed former "hacker" who had fallen out with Anonymous and explained his view of the Anonymous culture. In addition, the report also mentioned "raids" on [[Habbo]], a "national campaign to spoil the [[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows|new Harry Potter book]] ending", and threats to "[[Jake Brahm|bomb sports stadiums]]".<ref name="elusive"/><ref name="foxnewsanonreport">{{cite news |author=Phil Shuman (investigative reporter) |title=FOX 11 Investigates: 'Anonymous{{'-}} |url=http://www.myfoxla.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail?contentId=3894628&version=7&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=1.1.1&sflg=1 |publisher=[[KTTV]] ([[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]]) |work=MyFOX Los Angeles |date=July 26, 2007 |archiveurl=http://replay.web.archive.org/20080522123812/http://www.myfoxla.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail?contentId=3894628&version=7&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=1.1.1&sflg=1|archivedate=May 22, 2008}}</ref> |
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The day following the KTTV report, ''[[Wired News]]'' blogger and journalist [[Ryan Singel]] derided the report, stating that Fox news service had confused the hacker group with "supremely bored 15-year olds who post obscene pictures" from the English-language imageboard website 4chan, and that the news report was "by far the funniest prank anyone on the board has ever pulled off."<ref name="SingelInvestigative">{{cite news |author=[[Ryan Singel]] |title=Investigative Report Reveals Hackers Terrorize the Internet for LULZ |work=[[Wired News]] |date=July 27, 2007 |url=http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2007/07/investigative-r.html |accessdate=February 23, 2008| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20080229053133/http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2007/07/investigative-r.html| archivedate= February 29, 2008 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref> In February 2008, an Australia-based ''[[Today Tonight]]'' broadcast included a segment of the KTTV report, preceded by the statement: "The Church of Scientology has ramped up the offensive against Anonymous, accusing the group of religious bigotry and claiming they are sick, twisted souls."<ref name="SeymourFeb11">{{cite news |author=[http://au.todaytonight.yahoo.com/teambio/37257/bryan-seymour Bryan Seymour] ([[reporter]]) |title=Anonymous takes Scientology war to streets |url=http://au.todaytonight.yahoo.com/article/490551/lifestyle/anonymous-takes-scientology-war-streets |work=[[Today Tonight]] |publisher=[[Seven Network]] |format=[[News broadcasting|newscast]] |date=February 11, 2008 |accessdate=February 20, 2008| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20080302134023/http://au.todaytonight.yahoo.com/article/490551/lifestyle/anonymous-takes-scientology-war-streets| archivedate= March 02 2008 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref> |
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:::He says that administrator Shii implemented "Forced_Anon" in early 2004. Every post was signed as "Anonymous", to the annoyance of many people. That's when people started joking that "Anonymous" was a single person or a hivemind. After a few years "Anonymous took on a life of its own." He says "Many people who involve themselves in Anonymous claim to have first found it through 4chan." He says that people came to accept the idea of forced anonimity on 4chan and that "We are legion" was already circulating in 2005. He says more things later, but that's all I have read. --[[User:Enric Naval|Enric Naval]] ([[User talk:Enric Naval|talk]]) 10:52, 22 December 2012 (UTC) |
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Graham Cluley, a security expert for [[Sophos]], argued that Anonymous' actions against child porn websites hosted on a [[Darknet (file sharing)|darknet]] could be counterproductive, commenting that while their intentions appear beneficial, but the removal of illegal websites and sharing networks should be performed by the authorities, rather than Internet vigilantes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/10/24/anonymous_fight_child_abuse_network/|title=Anonymous shuts down hidden child abuse hub|last=Leyden|first=John |date=24 October 2011|work=[[The Register]]|accessdate=25 January 2012}}</ref> |
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::::Edited to add in the info regarding Shii and "Forced_Anon" in [[Anonymous_(group)#Origins]]: |
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The English language edition of [[Al Jazeera]] published regular articles on Anonymous and its activism. The journal also ran opinion pieces on the group, sometimes laudatory, describing it as a future form of internet-based social activism: |
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:::::"The name Anonymous itself is inspired by the perceived anonymity under which users post images and comments on the Internet. Usage of the term Anonymous in the sense of a shared identity began on imageboards. A tag of Anonymous is assigned to visitors who leave comments without identifying the originator of the posted content. Users of imageboards sometimes jokingly acted as if Anonymous were a real person. ''The concept of the Anonymous entity advanced in 2004 when an administrator on the 4chan image board activated a "Forced_Anon" protocol that signed all posts as Anonymous.'' As the popularity of imageboards increased, the idea of Anonymous as a collective of unnamed individuals became an internet meme." |
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"This is the future, whether one approves or not, and the failure on the part of governments and media alike to understand, and contend with the rapid change now afoot, ought to remind everyone concerned why it is that this movement is necessary in the first place."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2011/02/201121321487750509.html|title=Anonymous and the global correction – opinion|date=Feb. 16, 2011|publisher=Al Jazeera|accessdate=October 9, 2011}}</ref> |
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::::Hopefully that'll serve to enforce the notion that 4chan was a primary source of Anonymous without overshadowing the relevance of other imageboards and irc channels to the formation of the group. If you've got any other suggestions, or that's not enough, I'd be happy to hear them or to see your implementation of them. After all, I'm just trying to make sure that things follow logically; I'm not particularly well versed on Anonymous itself. Thanks! [[User:L.cash.m|L.cash.m]] ([[User talk:L.cash.m|talk]]) 06:41, 27 December 2012 (UTC) |
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In January 2008, ''Search Engine'', a Canadian radio show published by [[CBC Radio One]], began reporting on Project Chanology. Host Jesse Brown called Anonymous "clowns," citing their lack of coordination, vulgar humor, and pack mentality, and invited them to confront him in person. On February 7, two members of Anonymous appeared on the show, explaining the nature of the group and the genuine criticism they held for Scientology.<ref name="Search Engine"/> After Anonymous held a protest in front of [[Scientology]] compounds around the world on February 10, 2008, Brown admitted that they had "proved me wrong."<ref>[http://www.cbc.ca/searchengine/blog/2008/02/this_weeks_show_feb1408.html This Week's Show (Feb.14/08)] CBC Radio</ref> |
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== Edit request on 20 December 2012 == |
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The nature of the protest was unprecedented—picketers wore masks and refused to divulge names—and sparked a follow-up discussion on the show about journalistic standards for source protection, and the meaning of identity. Brown brought the issue to his own workplace, interviewing [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]]'s president [[Hubert Lacroix]] in reaction to a conflict between him and an anonymous critic who went by the handle "Ouimet."<ref name="Search Engine">{{cite news |last=Brown |first=Jesse |title=Anonymous blogging at the CBC: "Ouimet" vs. President and CEO Hubert T Lacroix |work=MediaShift Idea Lab: Reinventing Community News for the Digital Age |publisher=[[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]] |date=February 7, 2008 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20080217215558/http://www.cbc.ca/searchengine/blog/2008/02/anonymous_blogging_at_the_cbc.html |archivedate=February 17, 2008 |url= http://www.pbs.org/idealab/2008/03/community-organization-with-di.html |accessdate=February 19, 2011}}</ref> |
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{{edit semi-protected|answered=yes}} |
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Ein McNealy has now been linked and associated to the on going Anonymous struggle through a infiltration of Free Masonry. |
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[[User:Qianq|Qianq]] ([[User talk:Qianq|talk]]) 18:07, 20 December 2012 (UTC) |
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:Could you please be more specific about how you think the article should be changed? What words, exactly, should be added? Also, could you please provide a news source supporting the McNealy link? <span style="font-family:times; text-shadow: 0 0 .2em #7af">~[[User:Adjwilley|Adjwilley]] <small>([[User talk:Adjwilley|talk]])</small></span> 18:24, 20 December 2012 (UTC) |
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===Reaction from law enforcement agencies=== |
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== Edit request on 22 December 2012 == |
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====Arrests==== |
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{{rquote|right|First, who is this group called Anonymous? Put simply, it is an international cabal of criminal hackers dating back to 2003, who have shut down the websites of the U.S. Department of Justice and the F.B.I. They have hacked into the phone lines of Scotland Yard. They are responsible for attacks against MasterCard, Visa, Sony and the Governments of the U.S., U.K., Turkey, Australia, Egypt, Algeria, Libya, Iran, Chile, Colombia and New Zealand.|Canadian MP [[Marc Garneau]], 2012<ref>http://openparliament.ca/hansards/2455/114/</ref>}} |
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In December 2010, the Dutch police arrested a 16-year old for cyberattacks against Visa, MasterCard and PayPal in conjunction with Anonymous' [[DDoS]] attacks against companies opposing Wikileaks.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/213120/dutch_arrest_16yearold_related_to_wikileaks_attacks.html |title=Dutch Arrest 16-year-old Related to WikiLeaks Attacks |work=PC World |date=December 9, 2010 |accessdate=August 30, 2011}}</ref> |
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In January 2011, the [[Federal Bureau of Investigations|FBI]] issued more than 40 search warrants in a probe against the Anonymous attacks on companies that opposed Wikileaks. The FBI did not issue any arrest warrants, but issued a statement that participating in DDoS attacks is a criminal offense with a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.<ref name='fbi-anonymous'>{{cite news|author=<!--start post navigation--> Previous post Next post |url=http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2011/01/fbi-anonymous/ |title=FBI Knocks Down 40 Doors in Probe of Pro-WikiLeaks Attackers |work=Wired |date= January 27, 2011|accessdate=August 30, 2011| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20110720081234/http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2011/01/fbi-anonymous/| archivedate= July 20, 2011 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fbi.gov/news/pressrel/press-releases/warrants_012711 |title=Search Warrants Executed in the United States as Part of Ongoing Cyber Investigation |publisher=Fbi.gov |date=January 27, 2011 |accessdate=August 30, 2011}}</ref> |
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{{edit semi-protected|answered=yes}} |
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In January 2011, the British police arrested five male suspects between the ages of 15 and 26 with suspicion of participating in Anonymous DDoS attacks.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/01/27/idINIndia-54454720110127 |title=UK police arrest WikiLeaks backers for cyber attacks |agency=Reuters |date= January 27, 2011|accessdate=August 30, 2011}}</ref> |
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More accurate information: |
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Matthew George, a [[Newcastle, New South Wales]] resident, concerned with forthcoming Australian internet filtration legislation, was arrested for his participation in Anonymous DDoS activities. George participated in Anonymous IRC discussions, and allowed his computer to be used in a denial of service attack associated with [[February 2010 Australian Cyberattacks|Operation Titstorm]]. Tracked down by authorities, he was fined $550, though he was not fully aware that his actions were illegal, and believed his participation in Operation Titstorm had been a legal form of civil protest. His experience left him disillusioned with the potential of online anonymity, warning others: "There is no way to hide on the internet, no matter how hard you cover your tracks you can get caught. You're not invincible."<ref name="Whyte">{{cite news |url=http://www.smh.com.au/technology/security/meet-the-hacktivist-who-tried-to-take-down-the-government-20110314-1btkt.html |title= Meet the hacktivist who tried to take down the government |first=Sarah |last=Whyte |date=March 14, 2011 |work=Sydney Morning Herald }}</ref> |
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===Westboro Baptist Church=== |
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After receiving personal information documents on various Westboro Baptist members in early 2012 from Online Activist, Andrew Stephens, Anonymous declared they were going to destroy [[Westboro Baptist Church]] in reaction to the church claiming they would picket the funerals of the victims of the Connecticut school shootings. They hacked into the church's website, releasing the personal information of all church members, and took down the church's website and the Twitter account of [[Shirley Phelps-Roper]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Anonymous Targets Westboro Baptist Church After Newtown Vigil Protest Threat|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/17/westboro-baptist-church-hacked-anonymous-protest-newtown-shooting-victims-funerals_n_2315070.html|publisher=Huffington Post|accessdate=18 December 2012}}</ref> |
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On June 10, 2011, the [[National Police Corps of Spain|Spanish police]] captured three purported members of Anonymous in the cities of [[Gijón|Gijon]], Barcelona and [[Valencia, Spain|Valencia]]. The operation deactivated the main server from which the three men coordinated DDoS attacks. This particular group had made attacks on the web servers of the PlayStation Store, [[BBVA]], [[Bankia]], and the websites of the governments of Egypt, Algeria, Libya, Iran, Chile, Colombia and New Zealand. The operation revealed that their structure consisted of "cells" which at any given time could coordinate attacks through the downloading of software; the decision-making process to attack occurred in [[chat room]]s. The Spanish national police stated that this operation corresponds to the fact that the Spanish government and NATO considers this group of hackers a threat to national security.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.elpais.com/articulo/espana/Policia/Nacional/da/desarticulada/cupula/Anonymous/Espana/elpepuesp/20110610elpepunac_3/Tes |title=La Policía española golpea a Anonymous · ELPAÍS.com |work=El País |accessdate=August 30, 2011}}</ref> |
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Original: |
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On June 13, 2011, officials in Turkey arrested 32 individuals that were allegedly involved in DDoS attacks on Turkish government websites. These members of Anonymous were captured in different cities of Turkey including [[Istanbul]] and [[Ankara]]. According to PC Magazine these individuals were arrested after they attacked these websites as a response to the Turkish government demand to ISPs to implement a system of filters that many have perceived as censorship.<ref>{{cite news|last=Albanesius |first=Chloe |url=http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2386803,00.asp |title=Turkey Arrests 32 'Anonymous' Members & Opinion |publisher=PCMag.com |date=June 13, 2011 |accessdate=August 30, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/europa/detienen-en-turquia-a-32-presuntos-miembros-de-anonymous_9607324-4 |title=Detienen en Turquía a 32 presuntos miembros de 'Anonymous' – Noticias de Europa – Mundo |publisher=Eltiempo.Com |accessdate=August 30, 2011}}</ref> |
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===Westboro Baptist Church=== |
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Anonymous declared they were going to destroy [[Westboro Baptist Church]] in reaction to the church claiming they would picket the funerals of the victims of the Connecticut school shootings. They hacked into the church's website, releasing the personal information of all church members, and took down the church's website and the Twitter account of [[Shirley Phelps-Roper]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Anonymous Targets Westboro Baptist Church After Newtown Vigil Protest Threat|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/17/westboro-baptist-church-hacked-anonymous-protest-newtown-shooting-victims-funerals_n_2315070.html|publisher=Huffington Post|accessdate=18 December 2012}}</ref> |
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During July 19–20, 2011, as many as 20 or more arrests were made of suspected Anonymous hackers in the US, UK, and Netherlands following the 2010 Operation Avenge Assange in which the group attacked PayPal, as well as attacking MasterCard and Visa after they froze Wikileaks accounts. According to US officials statements suspects' homes were raided and suspects were arrested in Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Washington DC, Florida, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Mexico, and Ohio, as well as a 16 year old boy being held by the police in south London on suspicion of breaching the Computer Misuse Act 1990, and four being held in the Netherlands.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-14212110 |title=Police arrest 'hackers' in US, UK, Netherlands |publisher=BBC |date=July 19, 2011 |accessdate=August 30, 2011| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20110728192542/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-14212110| archivedate= July 28, 2011 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Andy Greenberg |url=http://blogs.forbes.com/andygreenberg/2011/07/19/anonymous-arrests-continue-lulzsec-leader-claims-hes-not-affected/ |title=Fourteen Anonymous Hackers Arrested For "Operation Avenge Assange," LulzSec Leader Claims He's Not Affected – Forbes |work=Forbes |date=July 19, 2011 |accessdate=August 30, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=By staff writers |url=http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/anonymous-hackers-arrested-in-us-sweep/story-e6frf7jx-1226097971794 |title='Anonymous' hackers arrested in US sweep |work=Herald Sun |location=Australia |date=July 20, 2011 |accessdate=August 30, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/07/19/exclusive-fbi-search-warrants-nationwide-hunt-anonymous/ |title=16 Suspected 'Anonymous' Hackers Arrested In Nationwide Sweep |publisher=Fox News Channel |date=April 7, 2010 |accessdate=August 30, 2011| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20110729011420/http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/07/19/exclusive-fbi-search-warrants-nationwide-hunt-anonymous/| archivedate= July 29, 2011 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref> |
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[[User:VerumTruth|VerumTruth]] ([[User talk:VerumTruth|talk]]) 21:50, 22 December 2012 (UTC) |
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On February 28, 2012, Interpol issued warrants for the arrests of 25 people with suspected links to Anonymous, according to a statement from the international police agency. The suspects, between the ages of 17 and 40, were all arrested.<ref>{{cite news|author=By staff writers |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/anonymous-members-arrested-after-interpol-investigation/2012/02/29/gIQANeq5hR_story.html?tid=pm_business_pop |title= 25 alleged Anonymous members arrested after Interpol investigation |work=The Washington Post |date=February 29, 2012 |accessdate=March 1, 2012}}</ref> |
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:{{not done}}; online activist Andrew Stephens is not mentioned in the quoted source. -- [[User:Diannaa|Dianna]] ([[User talk:Diannaa|talk]]) 16:48, 23 December 2012 (UTC) |
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On September 12, 2012; Anonymous spokesman Barrett Brown was arrested at his home in [[Dallas]] on charges of threatening an FBI agent. Agents arrested Brown while he was in the middle of a [[Tinychat]] session.<ref>Zetter, Kim. [http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2012/09/barret-brown-raid Anonymous’ Barrett Brown Raided by FBI During Online Chat]. [[Wired (magazine)|Wired]], 2012-09-13.</ref> |
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== Motto in infobox == |
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====Fear of retaliation==== |
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I'd like to propose that the "motto" in the infobox be removed or retitled. The first source given was self-published, and didn't even call this a motto, anyway, so I've removed it. The second isn't accessible for searches in Google Books, or Amazon, but I'm skeptical of the conclusion; The idea of an official "motto" seems very un-Anonymous-like. Is this really a guiding principle for the group, or was it just one statement in one video, as the article suggests? -- [[User:Khazar2|Khazar2]] ([[User talk:Khazar2|talk]]) 14:15, 10 January 2013 (UTC) |
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On January 28, 2012, the ''[[Wall Street Journal]]'' stated that US law enforcement officers are concerned about cyber-retaliation attacks by the group. The US has been investigating [[WikiLeaks]] founder [[Julian Assange]], although no charges have been filed and his legal team say the US has no jurisdiction, as the Australian citizen has committed no crimes on U.S. soil. The concern was caused by suspicion that Anonymous was involved in retaliatory attacks. A prosecutor in the investigation faced so many personal intrusions that colleagues became concerned about the possibility of bodily harm, according to journalist Devlin Barrett, who explained the Department of Justice was acting unusually by suppressing the names of officials in public statements to the press, but not in court documents. Barrett said there was debate within the Department of Justice and the FBI over the release of names of officials working on the Megaupload case.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203363504577185364230417098.html | work=The Wall Street Journal | first=Devlin | last=Barrett | title=Retaliation Fears Spur Anonymity in Internet Case | date=January 28, 2012}}</ref> |
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:Okay, removed for now.[http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Anonymous_%28group%29&diff=532690262&oldid=532630481] Feel free to revert me if this seems wrong to you and we can talk further. -- [[User:Khazar2|Khazar2]] ([[User talk:Khazar2|talk]]) 12:30, 12 January 2013 (UTC) |
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==See also== |
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== Going for Good Article status == |
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{{col-begin}} |
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{{col-2}} |
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;Memetic persona |
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* [[Luther Blissett (nom de plume)]] |
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* [[Crowd psychology]] |
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* [[John Doe]] |
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* [[Philosophy of Ghost in the Shell#Stand Alone Complex|Philosophy of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex]] |
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* [[Libertine]] |
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* [[Proteus effect]] |
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* [[Dharmapālas]] |
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;Composition |
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* [[Emergence]] |
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* [[Emergent organization]] |
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* [[Fourth generation warfare]] |
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* [[Self-organization]] |
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* [[Spontaneous order]] |
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{{col-2}} |
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This article was previously nominated for Good Article status, and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Anonymous_(group)/GA1|was quickfailed]], but it seems that many of those issues have been addressed since then. I'm interested on working over the next few weeks to try to revise this the rest of the way up to Good Article quality. Anybody interested in helping out to make this push? |
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;Activism |
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* [[Anontune]] |
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* [[Electronic civil disobedience]] |
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* [[Leaderless resistance]] |
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* [[Streisand effect]] |
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;Related Articles |
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Since this is a high-traffic and potentially controversial topic, I'll try to take it a bit at a time, checking in here when I make any serious changes. Thanks to everybody working on this one. -- [[User:Khazar2|Khazar2]] ([[User talk:Khazar2|talk]]) 14:23, 10 January 2013 (UTC) |
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* [[Anonymous-OS]] |
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* [[LulzSec]] |
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* [[LulzRaft]] |
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* [[Securax]] |
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* [[Operation Anti-Security]] |
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* [[Gabriella Coleman]] |
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{{col-end}} |
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{{Subject bar|portal1=Computer security|portal2=Internet|portal3=Politics|portal4=Social movements}} |
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==References== |
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:: "Origin" section still seem s a bit weak to me -- I still don't feel like it's properly assembled/smooth. Could we rename it to something more along the lines of 'conception'. It seems as though the ''idea'' of Anonymous came there but we don't really make it into Anonymous itself. Precursor? Or the entire section could be reworked to make it more readable/logical. <small><span class="autosigned">— Preceding [[Wikipedia:Signatures|unsigned]] comment added by [[User:L.cash.m|L.cash.m]] ([[User talk:L.cash.m|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/L.cash.m|contribs]]) 22:13, 10 January 2013 (UTC)</span></small><!-- Template:Unsigned --> <!--Autosigned by SineBot--> |
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{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}} |
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:::What you say makes sense to me, but to be honest I haven't dug into the sources enough yet to have an opinion. Let me dig around some more and get back to you soon on that. Obviously I've no objections if you want to try to revise it in the meantime, though. -- [[User:Khazar2|Khazar2]] ([[User talk:Khazar2|talk]]) 12:28, 12 January 2013 (UTC) |
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==External links== |
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==== Removed this quotation ==== |
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{{Wikisource author|Anonymous (group)}} |
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Sourced only to blogspot, unlikely to be a reliable source: |
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{{Commons category|Anonymous (group)}} |
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::A statement attributed to a member of Anonymous described Anonymous as containing every belief and lifestyle, and that the views of "the loudest" of Anonymous are not necessarily the views of the rest of Anonymous.<ref>{{cite web|title=Anonymous: A Way of Life: Quotes|url=http://anonymouswayoflife.blogspot.com/2010/04/quotes_21.html|accessdate=2 June 2012}}</ref> -- [[User:Khazar2|Khazar2]] ([[User talk:Khazar2|talk]]) 12:41, 12 January 2013 (UTC) |
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;Activist websites used by Anonymous |
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* [http://www.whyweprotest.net/ Why We Protest.net], Anonymous supported website centered on anti-Scientology protest activity. |
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* [http://anonnews.org/ AnonNews.org], Anonymous news aggregator. |
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;News coverage |
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* {{Aljazeeratopic|organisation/anonymous|Anonymous (organisation)}} with [http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/interactive/2011/05/2011519182744550587.html interactive timeline] |
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* {{Guardiantopic|technology/anonymous|Anonymous (technology)}} |
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* {{NYTtopic|organizations/a/anonymous_internet_group|Anonymous (Internet Group)}} |
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* [http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/tag/anonymous/ Anonymous], [http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/tag/anonymous-2011/ Anonymous-2011] collected news and commentary at ''[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] |
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* [http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2011/11/anonymous-101/ Anonymous 101] Introduction and commentary at ''[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]. [http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2011/12/anonymous-101-part-deux/?utm_source=Contextly&utm_medium=RelatedLinks&utm_campaign=MoreRecently Part 2]. |
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==== And this one ==== |
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A sheriff speaking on local TV, which seems a bit trivial in the scale of this article: |
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*[[Wikia:Ethics:Online Protest|Online Protest]] (Wikia) |
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::The group has been rebuked by Sheriff Fred Abdalla who state he would prosecute the hackers who posted the names and information of students alledgedly involved in a gang rape in the county, stating ""Why put their names out there? Why put their addresses out there? With all the crackpots we have running around this country?" he also claimed he knew the name and address of the lead hacker."<ref>[http://www.wtov9.com/news/news/sheriff-anonymous-hacker-im-coming-after-you/nTnNX/ Sheriff to Anonymous hacker: 'I'm coming after you'] |
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<!-- |
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</ref> -- [[User:Khazar2|Khazar2]] ([[User talk:Khazar2|talk]]) 12:44, 12 January 2013 (UTC) |
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;Widney Brown, their attorney should have own article?) |
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* [http://www.amnesty.org/en/who-we-are/our-people/international-secretariat-directors/widney-brown Widney Brown] at [[Amnesty International]] |
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* {{Worldcat id|lccn-nr2004-14266}} |
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;Other |
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;Department of Justice Anonymous Member Arrest Press Release, |
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* {{cite news |last=Mrozek |first=Thom |title=New Jersey Man Charged With Attacking Church of Scientology Websites In The Name Of Anonymous |publisher=United States Attorney's Office, Central District of California |date=October 17, 2008 |url=http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/cac/pressroom/pr2008/140.html}} |
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;MediaShift Idea Lab, [[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]] |
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==== Megaupload ==== |
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* {{cite news |last=Schultz |first=Dan |title=Anonymous vs. Scientology: A Case Study of Digital Media |work=MediaShift Idea Lab: Reinventing Community News for the Digital Age |publisher=[[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]] |date=February 15, 2008 |url=http://www.pbs.org/idealab/2008/02/anonymous-vs-scientology-a-cas.html |accessdate=February 15, 2008}} |
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The Megaupload reprisal attacks were for some reason broken over two sections, so I collapsed them into one. I also removed some unsourced, weakly sourced, or redundant information, and added some specific quotations from the given commentary sources about the event. Right now the claim that some commentators also supported the attacks is unsourced--I'll try to dig up a supportive quotation at some point later in my research unless anybody beats me to it. [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Anonymous_%28group%29&diff=532699169&oldid=532697271] -- [[User:Khazar2|Khazar2]] ([[User talk:Khazar2|talk]]) 14:01, 12 January 2013 (UTC) |
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* {{cite news |last=Schultz |first=Dan |title=Community Organization with Digital Tools |work=MediaShift Idea Lab: Reinventing Community News for the Digital Age |publisher=[[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]] |date=February 15, 2008 |url= http://www.pbs.org/idealab/2008/03/community-organization-with-di.html |accessdate=March 3, 2008}} |
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* {{cite news |author=Fox11 Staff |title=FOX 11 Investigates: 'Anonymous{{'-}} |work=[[KTTV|Fox 11]] |publisher=[[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] |date=July 26, 2007 |url=http://www.myfoxla.com/myfox/pages/ContentDetail?contentId=3894628}} (Video broadcast.) |
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==== Kony 2012 ==== |
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The group's criticism of [[Kony 2012]] seemed a bit trivial in the scale of this article, so I moved it to the "Timeline" daughter article.[http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Anonymous_%28group%29&diff=532699169&oldid=532697271] -- [[User:Khazar2|Khazar2]] ([[User talk:Khazar2|talk]]) 14:02, 12 January 2013 (UTC) |
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== Good article == |
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{{Anonymous and the Internet}} |
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{{Scientology versus the Internet}} |
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{{Hacking in 2010}} |
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I would like to upgrade this into a good article. I would like to recruit as many reviwers please. [[User:Pass a Method|<font color="grey" face="Tahoma">Pass a Method</font>]] [[User talk:Pass a Method|<font color="grey" face="papyrus">talk</font>]] 20:33, 16 January 2013 (UTC) |
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: Oops, i did not come accross the above post. [[User:Pass a Method|<font color="grey" face="Tahoma">Pass a Method</font>]] [[User talk:Pass a Method|<font color="grey" face="papyrus">talk</font>]] 20:34, 16 January 2013 (UTC) |
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Revision as of 20:55, 16 January 2013
![]() An image commonly associated with Anonymous. The "suit without a head" represents leaderless organization and anonymity.[1] | |
![]() Individuals appearing in public as Anonymous, wearing Guy Fawkes masks. | |
Formation | 2003–present |
---|---|
Type | Multiple-use name/avatar;Virtual community;Voluntary association |
Purpose | anti-cyber-surveillance;anti-cyber-censorship;Internet activism;Internet trolling;Internet vigilantism |
Region served | Global |
Membership | Decentralized affinity group |
Anonymous (used as a mass noun) is a loosely associated hacktivist group. It (is estimated to have) originated in 2003 on the imageboard 4chan, representing the concept of many online and offline community users simultaneously existing as an anarchic, digitized global brain.[2] It is also generally considered to be a blanket term for members of certain Internet subcultures, a way to refer to the actions of people in an environment where their actual identities are not known.[3] It strongly opposes Internet censorship and surveillance, and has hacked various government websites. It has also targeted major security corporations.[4][5][6] It also opposes Scientology, government corruption and homophobia. Its members can be distinguished in public by the wearing of stylised Guy Fawkes masks.[7]
In its early form, the concept was adopted by a decentralized online community acting anonymously in a coordinated manner, usually toward a loosely self-agreed goal, and primarily focused on entertainment. Beginning with 2008, the Anonymous collective became increasingly associated with collaborative, international hacktivism. They undertook protests and other actions in retaliation against anti-digital piracy campaigns by motion picture and recording industry trade associations.[8][9] Actions credited to "Anonymous" were undertaken by unidentified individuals who applied the Anonymous label to themselves as attribution.[10] Some analysts[who?] praised Anonymous as the freedom fighters of the Internet,[11] and a digital Robin Hood,[12] although others[who?] have condemned them as "anarchic cyber-guerrillas".[13]
Although not necessarily tied to a single online entity, many websites are strongly associated with Anonymous. This includes notable imageboards such as 4chan, their associated wikis, Encyclopædia Dramatica, and a number of forums.[14] After a series of controversial, widely publicized protests, distributed denial of service (DDoS) and website defacement attacks by Anonymous in 2008, incidents linked to its cadre members have increased.[15] In consideration of its capabilities, Anonymous has been posited by CNN to be one of the three major successors to WikiLeaks.[16] In 2012, Time named Anonymous as one of the most influential groups in the world.[17]
Background
Origins
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/31/AnonymousOccupy.jpg/220px-AnonymousOccupy.jpg)
The name Anonymous itself is inspired by the perceived anonymity under which users post images and comments on the Internet. Usage of the term Anonymous in the sense of a shared identity began on imageboards.[18] A tag of Anonymous is assigned to visitors who leave comments without identifying the originator of the posted content. Users of imageboards sometimes jokingly acted as if Anonymous were a real person. The concept of the Anonymous entity advanced in 2004 when an administrator on the 4chan image board activated a "Forced_Anon" protocol that signed all posts as Anonymous.[19] As the popularity of imageboards increased, the idea of Anonymous as a collective of unnamed individuals became an Internet meme.[20]
Anonymous broadly represents the concept of any and all people as an unnamed collective. As a multiple-use name, individuals who share in the "Anonymous" moniker also adopt a shared online identity, characterized as hedonistic and uninhibited. This is intended as a satirical, conscious adoption of the online disinhibition effect.[21]
We [Anonymous] just happen to be a group of people on the internet who need—just kind of an outlet to do as we wish, that we wouldn't be able to do in regular society. ...That's more or less the point of it. Do as you wish. ... There's a common phrase: 'we are doing it for the lulz.'
— Trent Peacock. Search Engine: The face of Anonymous, February 7, 2008.[21]
Definitions tend to emphasize that the concept, and by extension the collective of users, cannot be readily encompassed by a simple definition. Instead Anonymous is often defined by aphorisms describing perceived qualities.[2] One self-description, originating from a protest video targeted at the Church of Scientology, is:
We are Anonymous. We are Legion. We do not forgive. We do not forget. Expect us.[22]
Overview
[Anonymous is] the first Internet-based superconsciousness. Anonymous is a group, in the sense that a flock of birds is a group. How do you know they're a group? Because they're traveling in the same direction. At any given moment, more birds could join, leave, peel off in another direction entirely.
— Chris Landers. Baltimore City Paper, April 2, 2008.[2]
Anonymous consists largely of users from multiple imageboards and Internet forums. In addition, several wikis and Internet Relay Chat networks are maintained to overcome the limitations of traditional imageboards. These modes of communication are the means by which Anonymous protesters participating in Project Chanology communicate and organize upcoming protests.[23][24]
A "loose coalition of Internet denizens,"[25] the group bands together through the Internet, using IRC channels[23] and sites such as 4chan,[23][25] 711chan,[23] Encyclopædia Dramatica,[26] and YouTube.[3] Social networking services, such as Facebook, are used for to mobilize groups for real-world protests.[27]
Anonymous has no leader or controlling party and relies on the collective power of its individual participants acting in such a way that the net effect benefits the group.[25] "Anyone who wants to can be Anonymous and work toward a set of goals..." a member of Anonymous explained to the Baltimore City Paper. "We have this agenda that we all agree on and we all coordinate and act, but all act independently toward it, without any want for recognition. We just want to get something that we feel is important done..."[2] Anonymous members have previously collaborated with hacker group LulzSec.[citation needed]
Membership
It is impossible to 'join' Anonymous, as there is no leadership, no ranking, and no single means of communication. Anonymous is spread over many mediums and languages, with membership being achieved simply by wishing to join.[28]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/67/Anonymous-Bruxelles.jpg/220px-Anonymous-Bruxelles.jpg)
Commander X and the People's Liberation Front
A person known as Commander X provided interviews and videos about Anonymous.[29] In 2011, he was at the center of an investigation into Anonymous by HBGary CEO Aaron Barr, who claimed to have identified him as a San Francisco gardener. Interviewed following the attack on HBGary Federal, Commander X revealed that while Barr suspected that he was a leader of the group, he was in his own words a "peon". However, Commander X did claim to be a skilled hacker and founding member of an allied organization, the Peoples Liberation Front (PLF).[30] According to Commander X, Peoples Liberation Front, a collective of hactivists founded in 1985, acted with AnonOps, another sub-group of Anonymous, to carry out denial-of-service (DDOS) attacks against government websites in Tunisia, Iran, Egypt, and Bahrain. Explaining the relationship between Anonymous and the PLF, he suggested an analogy to NATO, with the PLF being a smaller sub-group that could choose to opt in or out of a specific project. "AnonOps and the PLF are both capable of creating huge "Internet armies". The main difference is AnonOps moves with huge force, but very slowly because of their decision making process. The PLF moves with great speed, like a scalpel."[31] On September 23, 2011, a homeless man in California named Christopher Doyon was arrested and stated by officials to have used the Commander X screen name.[32] He pleaded not guilty.[33]
Low Orbit Ion Cannon
The Low Orbit Ion Cannon is a network stress testing application that has been used by Anonymous to accomplish its DDOS attacks. Individual users download the LOIC and voluntarily contribute their computer to a bot net. This bot net is then directed against the target by AnonOps.[34] Joining the bot net and volunteering one's resources for the use of the group is thus one way of being a "member," a concept that is otherwise hard to define.
Activities
The Pirate Bay
In April 2009, after The Pirate Bay co-defendants were found guilty of facilitating extensive copyright infringement "in a commercial and organized form", Anonymous launched a coordinated DDoS attack against the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), an organisation responsible for safeguarding recording artists' rights.[35] When co-founders lost their appeal against convictions for encouraging piracy, Anonymous again targeted the IFPI, labelling them "parasites". A statement read: "We will continue to attack those who embrace censorship. You will not be able to hide your ludicrous ways to control us."[36][37]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/90/Anonymous_%28hacktivist%29_group_supporters_at_an_October_29%2C_2011_rally_in_Oklahoma_City.jpg/170px-Anonymous_%28hacktivist%29_group_supporters_at_an_October_29%2C_2011_rally_in_Oklahoma_City.jpg)
Megaupload
On January 19, 2012, Megaupload, a website providing file-sharing services, was shut down by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).[38] In the hours following the shutdown, hackers took down the sites of the DOJ and FBI, as well as the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) using distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks.[39] Barrett Brown, described as a spokesperson for Anonymous, called the attack "the single largest Internet attack in [Anonymous'] history".[40] With the protests against the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) protests only a day old, Brown stated that internet users were "by-and-far ready to defend an open Internet".[40]
Although the actions of Anonymous received support,[citation needed] some commentators argued that the denial of service attack risked damaging the anti-SOPA case. Molly Wood of CNET wrote that "[i]f the SOPA/PIPA protests were the Web's moment of inspiring, non-violent, hand-holding civil disobedience, #OpMegaUpload feels like the unsettling wave of car-burning hooligans that sweep in and incite the riot portion of the play."[41] Dwight Silverman of the Houston Chronicle concurred, stating that "Anonymous' actions hurt the movement to kill SOPA/PIPA by highlighting online lawlessness".[42] The Oxford Internet Institute's Joss Wright wrote that "In one sense the actions of Anonymous are themselves, anonymously and unaccountably, censoring websites in response to positions with which they disagree."[39]
Government websites
Anonymous claimed responsibility for taking down government websites in the UK in April 2012 in protest against government extradition and surveillance policies. A message was left on Twitter saying it was "for your draconian surveillance proposals".[43]
Occupy movement
Anonymous activists merged with Occupy Wall Street protesters. Anonymous members descended on New York's Zucotti Park and organized it partly. After it became known that some Occupy protesters would get violent, Anonymous used social networking to urge Occupy protesters to avoid disorder. Anonymous used Twitter trends to keep protests peaceful.[44]
A similar protest occurred outside the London Stock Exchange in early May 2012 during a May Day Occupy protest.[45]
Internet pedophilia
Alleged Internet predator Chris Forcand, 53, was charged with child sexual and firearm offenses.[46] A newspaper report stated that Forcand was already being tracked by "cyber-vigilantes before police investigations commenced.[47] A television report identified a "self-described Internet vigilante group called Anonymous" who contacted the police after some members were "propositioned" by Forcand. The report stated this was the first time a suspected Internet predator was arrested by the police as a result of Internet vigilantism.[48]
In October 2011, "Operation Darknet" was launched as an attempt to cease the activities of child porn sites accessed through hidden services in the deep web.[49] Anonymous published in a pastebin link what it claimed were the user names of 1,589 members of Lolita City, a child porn site accessed via the Tor network. Anonymous said that it had found the site via The Hidden Wiki, and that it contained over 100 gigabytes of child pornography. Anonymous launched a denial-of-service attack to take Lolita City offline.[citation needed]
Religious organisations
The group gained worldwide press for Project Chanology, the protest against the Church of Scientology.[50]
The project started in response to the Church of Scientology's attempts to remove material from a highly publicized interview with Scientologist Tom Cruise from the Internet in January 2008. The project was launched in the form of a video posted to YouTube, "Message to Scientology", on January 21, 2008. The video stated that Anonymous views Scientology's actions as Internet censorship, and asserted the group's intent to "expel the church from the Internet".
In early 2011, the organisation targeted the Westboro Baptist Church, releasing several videos on a range of related topics, such as their controversial preaching against homosexuality. Several attacks were made on the primary website, one that was made while Shirley Phelps-Roper was debating Topiary (Jake Davis) a representative of Anonymous in a televised interview on the David Pakman Show.[51] Anonymous carried out another attack on December 16, 2012 in response to Westboro's picketing of funerals for the victims of the Newtown Massacre.[52] Anonymous is also supporting a petition to the White House to formally recognize the Westboro Baptist Church as a hate group.[53]
LGBT issues
On August 2012 Anonymous hacked into Ugandan government websites in protest of the pending Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Bill. A message stated :
- "Anonymous will continue to target Ugandan government sites and communications until the government of Uganda treats all people including LGBT people equally".[54]
Parmy cited one research project that found that as many as thirty per cent of posters on 4chan fell into the LGBT category, posters often pretending to be the opposite sex.[55]
Anonymous declared they were going to destroy the anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church in reaction to the church claiming they would picket the funerals of the victims of the Connecticut school shootings. The group hacked into the church's website, releasing the personal information of all church members. On December 21, 2012, the group successfully launched a DDoS attack on the church's website and hacked into the Twitter account of Shirley Phelps-Roper.[56]
Cyber-attacks and other activities
The group is responsible for cyber-attacks on the Pentagon, News Corp and has also threatened to destroy Facebook.[57]
In October 2011, Anonymous hackers threatened the Mexican drug cartel known as Los Zetas in an online video after one of their members was kidnapped.[58]
In late May 2012 alleged Anonymous members claimed responsibility for taking down a GM crops website.[59]
In early September 2012 alleged Anonymous members claimed responsibility for taking down GoDaddy's Domain Name Servers, affecting small businesses around the globe. [60]
In mid-September 2012, Anonymous hackers threatened the Hong Kong government organization, known as National Education Centre. In their online video, Anonymous members claimed responsibility for leaking classified government documents and taking down the National Education Centre website, after the Hong Kong government repeatedly ignored months of wide-scale protests against the establishment of a new core Moral and National Education curriculum for children from 6-18 years of age. The new syllabus came under heavy criticism and international media attention, as it does not award students based on how much factual information is learned, but instead grades and evaluates students based on their level of emotional attachment and approval of the Communist Party of China, almost in blind brain-washing fashion. [61]
Israel
In response to Operation Pillar of Cloud in November 2012, Anonymous launched a series of attacks on Israeli government websites. Anonymous protested what they called the "barbaric, brutal and despicable treatment of the Palestinian people".[62]
Syria
On November 30, 2012, the group declared an operation to shut down websites of the Syrian government, in response to a internet blackout the previous day believed to be imposed by Syrian authorities in an attempt to silence opposition groups of the Syrian civil war.[63]
Impact
Reception
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/8b/Anonymous_Fox_11.jpg/220px-Anonymous_Fox_11.jpg)
On July 26, 2007, Fox affiliate KTTV in Los Angeles, California aired a report on Anonymous, calling them a group of "hackers on steroids," "domestic terrorists," and collectively an "Internet hate machine." The report covered an attack on a Myspace user, who claimed to have had his Myspace account "hacked" into seven times by Anonymous, and plastered with images of gay pornography. The Myspace user also claimed a virus written by Anonymous hackers was sent to him and to ninety friends on his Myspace contact list, crashing thirty-two of his friends' computers. The report featured an unnamed former "hacker" who had fallen out with Anonymous and explained his view of the Anonymous culture. In addition, the report also mentioned "raids" on Habbo, a "national campaign to spoil the new Harry Potter book ending", and threats to "bomb sports stadiums".[15][64]
The day following the KTTV report, Wired News blogger and journalist Ryan Singel derided the report, stating that Fox news service had confused the hacker group with "supremely bored 15-year olds who post obscene pictures" from the English-language imageboard website 4chan, and that the news report was "by far the funniest prank anyone on the board has ever pulled off."[65] In February 2008, an Australia-based Today Tonight broadcast included a segment of the KTTV report, preceded by the statement: "The Church of Scientology has ramped up the offensive against Anonymous, accusing the group of religious bigotry and claiming they are sick, twisted souls."[66]
Graham Cluley, a security expert for Sophos, argued that Anonymous' actions against child porn websites hosted on a darknet could be counterproductive, commenting that while their intentions appear beneficial, but the removal of illegal websites and sharing networks should be performed by the authorities, rather than Internet vigilantes.[67]
The English language edition of Al Jazeera published regular articles on Anonymous and its activism. The journal also ran opinion pieces on the group, sometimes laudatory, describing it as a future form of internet-based social activism:
"This is the future, whether one approves or not, and the failure on the part of governments and media alike to understand, and contend with the rapid change now afoot, ought to remind everyone concerned why it is that this movement is necessary in the first place."[68]
In January 2008, Search Engine, a Canadian radio show published by CBC Radio One, began reporting on Project Chanology. Host Jesse Brown called Anonymous "clowns," citing their lack of coordination, vulgar humor, and pack mentality, and invited them to confront him in person. On February 7, two members of Anonymous appeared on the show, explaining the nature of the group and the genuine criticism they held for Scientology.[21] After Anonymous held a protest in front of Scientology compounds around the world on February 10, 2008, Brown admitted that they had "proved me wrong."[69]
The nature of the protest was unprecedented—picketers wore masks and refused to divulge names—and sparked a follow-up discussion on the show about journalistic standards for source protection, and the meaning of identity. Brown brought the issue to his own workplace, interviewing CBC's president Hubert Lacroix in reaction to a conflict between him and an anonymous critic who went by the handle "Ouimet."[21]
Reaction from law enforcement agencies
Arrests
First, who is this group called Anonymous? Put simply, it is an international cabal of criminal hackers dating back to 2003, who have shut down the websites of the U.S. Department of Justice and the F.B.I. They have hacked into the phone lines of Scotland Yard. They are responsible for attacks against MasterCard, Visa, Sony and the Governments of the U.S., U.K., Turkey, Australia, Egypt, Algeria, Libya, Iran, Chile, Colombia and New Zealand.
— Canadian MP Marc Garneau, 2012[70]
In December 2010, the Dutch police arrested a 16-year old for cyberattacks against Visa, MasterCard and PayPal in conjunction with Anonymous' DDoS attacks against companies opposing Wikileaks.[71]
In January 2011, the FBI issued more than 40 search warrants in a probe against the Anonymous attacks on companies that opposed Wikileaks. The FBI did not issue any arrest warrants, but issued a statement that participating in DDoS attacks is a criminal offense with a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.[72][73]
In January 2011, the British police arrested five male suspects between the ages of 15 and 26 with suspicion of participating in Anonymous DDoS attacks.[74]
Matthew George, a Newcastle, New South Wales resident, concerned with forthcoming Australian internet filtration legislation, was arrested for his participation in Anonymous DDoS activities. George participated in Anonymous IRC discussions, and allowed his computer to be used in a denial of service attack associated with Operation Titstorm. Tracked down by authorities, he was fined $550, though he was not fully aware that his actions were illegal, and believed his participation in Operation Titstorm had been a legal form of civil protest. His experience left him disillusioned with the potential of online anonymity, warning others: "There is no way to hide on the internet, no matter how hard you cover your tracks you can get caught. You're not invincible."[75]
On June 10, 2011, the Spanish police captured three purported members of Anonymous in the cities of Gijon, Barcelona and Valencia. The operation deactivated the main server from which the three men coordinated DDoS attacks. This particular group had made attacks on the web servers of the PlayStation Store, BBVA, Bankia, and the websites of the governments of Egypt, Algeria, Libya, Iran, Chile, Colombia and New Zealand. The operation revealed that their structure consisted of "cells" which at any given time could coordinate attacks through the downloading of software; the decision-making process to attack occurred in chat rooms. The Spanish national police stated that this operation corresponds to the fact that the Spanish government and NATO considers this group of hackers a threat to national security.[76]
On June 13, 2011, officials in Turkey arrested 32 individuals that were allegedly involved in DDoS attacks on Turkish government websites. These members of Anonymous were captured in different cities of Turkey including Istanbul and Ankara. According to PC Magazine these individuals were arrested after they attacked these websites as a response to the Turkish government demand to ISPs to implement a system of filters that many have perceived as censorship.[77][78]
During July 19–20, 2011, as many as 20 or more arrests were made of suspected Anonymous hackers in the US, UK, and Netherlands following the 2010 Operation Avenge Assange in which the group attacked PayPal, as well as attacking MasterCard and Visa after they froze Wikileaks accounts. According to US officials statements suspects' homes were raided and suspects were arrested in Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Washington DC, Florida, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Mexico, and Ohio, as well as a 16 year old boy being held by the police in south London on suspicion of breaching the Computer Misuse Act 1990, and four being held in the Netherlands.[79][80][81][82]
On February 28, 2012, Interpol issued warrants for the arrests of 25 people with suspected links to Anonymous, according to a statement from the international police agency. The suspects, between the ages of 17 and 40, were all arrested.[83]
On September 12, 2012; Anonymous spokesman Barrett Brown was arrested at his home in Dallas on charges of threatening an FBI agent. Agents arrested Brown while he was in the middle of a Tinychat session.[84]
Fear of retaliation
On January 28, 2012, the Wall Street Journal stated that US law enforcement officers are concerned about cyber-retaliation attacks by the group. The US has been investigating WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, although no charges have been filed and his legal team say the US has no jurisdiction, as the Australian citizen has committed no crimes on U.S. soil. The concern was caused by suspicion that Anonymous was involved in retaliatory attacks. A prosecutor in the investigation faced so many personal intrusions that colleagues became concerned about the possibility of bodily harm, according to journalist Devlin Barrett, who explained the Department of Justice was acting unusually by suppressing the names of officials in public statements to the press, but not in court documents. Barrett said there was debate within the Department of Justice and the FBI over the release of names of officials working on the Megaupload case.[85]
See also
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References
- ^ "Gabriella Coleman on Anonymous". Brian Lehrer Live. Vimeo. February 9, 2011. Retrieved March 24, 2011.
- ^ a b c d Landers, Chris (April 2, 2008). "Serious Business: Anonymous Takes On Scientology (and Doesn't Afraid of Anything)". Baltimore City Paper. Archived from the original on June 08 2008. Retrieved July 3, 2008.
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|archivedate=
(help); Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ a b Jessica Parral, James Clark (February 2, 2008). "Internet Group Takes Action Against Scientology. Quote they use "We are Anonymous. We are Legion. We do not forgive. We do not forget. Expect us."". City on a Hill Press (student newspaper). University of California, Santa Cruz. Retrieved February 21, 2008.
- ^ Hacking group Anonymous takes on India Internet censorship retrieved 11 June 2012
- ^ anonymous threatens government retrieved 20 May 2012
- ^ Computer Hacking: Can "good" Hackers Help Fight Cybercrime? - Marcia Clemmitt, CQ Press - 2011
- ^ Waites, Rosie (October 20, 2011). "V for Vendetta masks: Who". BBC News. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
- ^ Activists target recording industry websites, BBC News, 20 September 2010.
- ^ Beaumont, Claudine. Music and film industry websites targeted in cyber attacks, The Telegraph, September 20, 2010.
- ^ Davies, Shaun (May 8, 2008). "The Internet pranksters who started a war". ninemsn. Archived from the original on September 22, 2008. Retrieved October 29, 2008.
{{cite news}}
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suggested) (help) - ^ Expert Oracle Application Express John Scott, Doug Gault, Raj Mattamal - 2011
- ^ From Anonymous to shuttered websites retrieved 18 June 2012
- ^ Bloomberg Businessweek: Issues 4210-4221 2011
- ^ Olson, Parmy (2012). We Are Anonymous: Inside the Hacker World of LulzSec, Anonymous, and the Global Cyber Insurgency.
{{cite book}}
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ignored (|publisher=
suggested) (help) - ^ a b Tsotsis, Alexia (February 4, 2009). "My Date with Anonymous: A Rare Interview with the Elusive Internet Troublemakers". LA Weekly. Archived from the original on February 07 2009. Retrieved February 7, 2009.
{{cite news}}
: Check date values in:|archivedate=
(help); Unknown parameter|deadurl=
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suggested) (help) - ^ "Anonymous vows to take leaking to the next level". CNN. February 23, 2011. Retrieved March 29, 2011.
- ^ "The 100 Most Influential People In The World". Time. April 18, 2012.
- ^ Olson, Parmy (2012). We Are Anonymous: Inside the Hacker World of LulzSec, Anonymous, and the Global Cyber Insurgency.
{{cite book}}
: Unknown parameter|Publisher=
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suggested) (help) - ^ Olson, Parmy (2012). We Are Anonymous: Inside the Hacker World of LulzSec, Anonymous, and the Global Cyber Insurgency.
{{cite book}}
: Unknown parameter|Publisher=
ignored (|publisher=
suggested) (help) - ^ Whipple, Tom (June 20, 2008). "Scientology: the Anonymous protesters". The Times. UK.
- ^ a b c d Brown, Jesse (February 7, 2008). "Community Organization with Digital Tools: The face of Anonymous". MediaShift Idea Lab: Reinventing Community News for the Digital Age. PBS. Archived from the original on February 11, 2008. Retrieved March 3, 2008. Cite error: The named reference "Search Engine" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ [We Are Anonymous, We Are Legion], Yale Law and Technology, November 9, 2009
- ^ a b c d George-Cosh, David (January 25, 2008). "Online group declares war on Scientology". National Post. Canada: Canwest Publishing Inc. Archived from the original on January 29, 2008. Retrieved January 25, 2008.
- ^ Ryan Singel (January 23, 2008). "War Breaks Out Between Hackers and Scientology – There Can Be Only One". Wired News. Archived from the original on January 24, 2008. Retrieved January 25, 2008.
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- ^ Davies, Shaun (May 8, 2008). "Critics point finger at satirical website". National Nine News.
- ^ Dahdah, Howard (February 8, 2008). "'Anonymous' group declares online war on Scientology". Computerworld: The Voice of IT Management. IDG Communications. Archived from the original on February 13, 2008. Retrieved February 8, 2008.
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- ^ by Commander X. "Anonymous on Vimeo". Vimeo.com. Retrieved August 30, 2011.
- ^ "Peoples Liberation Front". Activist website. Peoples Liberation Front. Retrieved December 3, 2012.
- ^ Tynan, Dan (February 18, 2011). "A conversation with Commander X". IDG.
- ^ Doran, Miles. "Feds: Homeless hacker 'Commander X' arrested". CBS. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
- ^ Mills, Elinor. "Alleged 'Commander X' Anonymous hacker pleads not guilty". CNET. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
- ^ Rogers, Tim (May 9, 2011). "Barrett Brown is Anonymous". D magazine. Retrieved April 1, 2011.
- ^ Leyden, John. Music industry sites DDoSed after Pirate Bay verdict, The Register, April 20, 2009.
- ^ Moya, Jared. Operation: Payback Targets IFPI for Pirate Bay Verdict, zeropaid.com. November 29, 2010.
- ^ Constantin, Lucian. [1], Softpedia, November 29, 2010.
- ^ Sisario, Ben (January 20, 2012). "7 Charged as F.B.I. Closes a Top File-Sharing Site". The New York Times. Retrieved January 21, 2012.
- ^ a b Kelion, Leo (January 20, 2012). "Hackers retaliate over Megaupload website shutdown". BBC News. Retrieved January 21, 2012.
- ^ a b "Internet strikes back: Anonymous' Operation Megaupload explained". RT. January 20, 2012. Retrieved January 21, 2012.
- ^ Wood, Molly (January 19, 2012). "Anonymous goes nuclear; everybody loses?". CNET. Retrieved January 21, 2012.
- ^ Jonsson, Patrik (January 21, 2012). "SOPA: Feds go after Megaupload as Congress reviews anti-piracy bills". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved January 22, 2012.
- ^ Anonymous claims responsibility for taking down government sites retrieved 11 June 2012
- ^ How Anonymous emerged to Occupy Wall Street retrieved 11 June 2012
- ^ Occupy movement takes over parts of London Stock Exchange retrieved 11 June 2012
- ^ Constable George Schuurman, Public Information, for Detective Constable Janelle Blackadar, Sex Crimes Unit (December 6, 2007). "Man facing six charges in Child Exploitation investigation, Photograph released, Chris Forcand, 53". News Release. Toronto Police Service.
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- ^ Liebowitz, Matt (November 3, 2011). "Anonymous releases IP addresses of alleged child porn viewers". MSNBC. Retrieved January 25, 2012.
- ^ Richards, Johnathan (The Times) (January 25, 2008). "Hackers Declare War on Scientology: A shadowy Internet group has succeeded in taking down a Scientology Web site after effectively declaring war on the church and calling for it to be destroyed". Fox News Network, LLC. Retrieved January 25, 2008.
- ^ Olson, Parmy (2012). We Are Anonymous: Inside the Hacker World of LulzSec, Anonymous andthe Global Cyber Insurgency. Little, Brown.
- ^ "Hackers attack Westboro Baptist Church for picketing Sandy Hook". MSN. December 16, 2012. Retrieved December 17, 2012.
- ^ Westboro Baptist Church hate group petition sent to White House
- ^ Anonymous hack into Ugandan government websites in protest at their anti-LGBT policies retrieved 15 July 2012
- ^ Olson, Parmy (2012). We Are Anonymous: Inside the Hacker World of LulzSec, Anonymous, and the Global Cyber Insurgency. Hachette Book Group.
- ^ "Anonymous Targets Westboro Baptist Church After Newtown Vigil Protest Threat". Huffington Post. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
- ^ Hacker Group Anonymous Vows To Destroy Facebook On November 5 retrieved 11 June 2012
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- ^ GM crop-trial website taken down by cyber-attack retrieved 28 May 2012
- ^ Finley, Klint. "GoDaddy Outage Takes Down Millions Of Sites, Anonymous Member Claims Responsibility". Tech Crunch. Retrieved September 10, 2012.
- ^ 攻陷國教網站 黑客匿名:要革命! retrieved 16 Sep 2012
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- ^ Phil Shuman (investigative reporter) (July 26, 2007). "FOX 11 Investigates: 'Anonymous'". MyFOX Los Angeles. KTTV (Fox). Archived from the original on May 22, 2008.
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|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Leyden, John (October 24, 2011). "Anonymous shuts down hidden child abuse hub". The Register. Retrieved January 25, 2012.
- ^ "Anonymous and the global correction – opinion". Al Jazeera. Feb. 16, 2011. Retrieved October 9, 2011.
{{cite news}}
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(help) - ^ This Week's Show (Feb.14/08) CBC Radio
- ^ http://openparliament.ca/hansards/2455/114/
- ^ "Dutch Arrest 16-year-old Related to WikiLeaks Attacks". PC World. December 9, 2010. Retrieved August 30, 2011.
- ^ Previous post Next post (January 27, 2011). "FBI Knocks Down 40 Doors in Probe of Pro-WikiLeaks Attackers". Wired. Archived from the original on July 20, 2011. Retrieved August 30, 2011.
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- ^ "UK police arrest WikiLeaks backers for cyber attacks". Reuters. January 27, 2011. Retrieved August 30, 2011.
- ^ Whyte, Sarah (March 14, 2011). "Meet the hacktivist who tried to take down the government". Sydney Morning Herald.
- ^ "La Policía española golpea a Anonymous · ELPAÍS.com". El País. Retrieved August 30, 2011.
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- ^ "Detienen en Turquía a 32 presuntos miembros de 'Anonymous' – Noticias de Europa – Mundo". Eltiempo.Com. Retrieved August 30, 2011.
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suggested) (help) - ^ Andy Greenberg (July 19, 2011). "Fourteen Anonymous Hackers Arrested For "Operation Avenge Assange," LulzSec Leader Claims He's Not Affected – Forbes". Forbes. Retrieved August 30, 2011.
- ^ By staff writers (July 20, 2011). "'Anonymous' hackers arrested in US sweep". Herald Sun. Australia. Retrieved August 30, 2011.
- ^ "16 Suspected 'Anonymous' Hackers Arrested In Nationwide Sweep". Fox News Channel. April 7, 2010. Archived from the original on July 29, 2011. Retrieved August 30, 2011.
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ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ By staff writers (February 29, 2012). "25 alleged Anonymous members arrested after Interpol investigation". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 1, 2012.
- ^ Zetter, Kim. Anonymous’ Barrett Brown Raided by FBI During Online Chat. Wired, 2012-09-13.
- ^ Barrett, Devlin (January 28, 2012). "Retaliation Fears Spur Anonymity in Internet Case". The Wall Street Journal.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/38px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Activist websites used by Anonymous
- Why We Protest.net, Anonymous supported website centered on anti-Scientology protest activity.
- AnonNews.org, Anonymous news aggregator.
- News coverage
- Anonymous (organisation) collected news and commentary at Al Jazeera English with interactive timeline
- Anonymous (technology) collected news and commentary at The Guardian
- Anonymous (Internet Group) collected news and commentary at The New York Times
- Anonymous, Anonymous-2011 collected news and commentary at Wired
- Anonymous 101 Introduction and commentary at Wired. Part 2.
- Online Protest (Wikia)