Anonymous will likely become more active with political issues in the near future. Anonymous’ political actions will likely increase as long as governments threaten the freedom of the internet. Recent political involvement succeeded in influencing opinion regarding SOPA and PIPA. Although Anonymous began as an online prankster group “just for the lulz,” they are now a formidable actor in the political realm. Anonymous has organized successful protests in the past, including OpBart and Project Chanology
Discussion:
Image 1. SOPA/PIPA support before and after online protests. Image URL: http://tinyurl.com/7j9ob95
Anonymous attacks are likely to continue to become more political as the US government continues to look for ways to place controls on the information obtained on the Internet. Recently, Anonymous attacked several Department of Justice and FBI websites in response to the shutdown of MegaUpload.com.[i] Anonymous also attacked Sony for the second time due to its support of the SOPA legislation.[ii] Upon introduction of the SOPA legislation, 80 members of both the House and Senate voiced their approval of the bill; only 31 politicians voiced their disapproval. By 19January, after widespread internet blackouts and protests, the number of “NO” votes more than tripled to 101, in a clear response to several online sites blacking themselves out.[iii] With continued political success electronically and in the public arena, Anonymous will likely increase its political activity. In addition, its aggressive attacks will likely increase as continued press coverage gives Anonymous the exposure to recruit more experienced hackers. Anonymous’ steady increase in political action can be traced from
their beginnings with Project Chanology, to the current, successful SOPA/PIPA protests. This trend will likely continue.
Anonymous protests succeed because of their simplicity and wide-reaching nature. Those who support specific causes are welcome to join, while the rest sit back and watch. Attacks are most likely coordinated based on addressing a censorship or moral issue, but also for their potential for laughs or attacking actors with unwarranted self-importance.[iv] The operations that attract most media attention address social injustices and other issues, especially ones concerning censorship of the internet.[v] SOPA protests brought publicity to the bill itself and the fact that its wording could be exploited to censor the internet.[vi] Protests against BART centered on the blackout of cellular service to limit a suspected protest.[vii]
Anonymous first emerged in 2006 at 4chan.org, a popular image sharing site,[viii] as a simple internet group that conducted trolling escapades against many different groups. Trolling in its simplest form consists of internet pranking an individual with DDoS attacks, prank calling, or sending unpaid pizzas to the residence of the target.[ix] Anonymous addressed the Church of Scientology’s cover-up of a leaked Tom Cruise video With Project Chanology. The January 2008 attack began with these same trolling tactics until Mark Bunker, a devout critic of the church, posted a video online urging Anonymous to end their childish trolling ways and enter the political realm.[x] The group shifted gears and organized a successful protest.[xi] Over six thousand Anonymous followers, many donning Guy Falkes masks, gathered outside Churches of Scientology around the world on 10 February 2008.[xii] From this point on, Anonymous continued to show their presence both on the internet and in the public, raising awareness of social problems across the globe.
Anonymous’ success with Project Chanology led to further protests. In 2009 and 2010 it successfully aided protesters in the Arab Spring movement, allowing accurate reports to come out of Iran, Tunisia, Algeria, and other Middle East nations.[xiii] A year later, Anonymous launched its second successful political action in the US. San Francisco’s Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) responded to a possible protest on 11 August 2011 by shutting off cell service and increasing the police presence at San Francisco’s Civic Center BART Station.[xiv] The cell blackout angered Anonymous protesters, who promptly organized protests on 15 August. Wearing signature Guy Falkes masks, protesters successfully shut down four separate stations.[xv]
Anonymous will likely become more active with political issues in the near future. Anonymous’ political actions will likely increase as long as governments threaten the freedom of the internet. Recent political involvement succeeded in influencing opinion regarding SOPA and PIPA. Although Anonymous began as an online prankster group “just for the lulz,” they are now a formidable actor in the political realm. Anonymous has organized successful protests in the past, including OpBart and Project Chanology
Discussion:
their beginnings with Project Chanology, to the current, successful SOPA/PIPA protests. This trend will likely continue.
Anonymous protests succeed because of their simplicity and wide-reaching nature. Those who support specific causes are welcome to join, while the rest sit back and watch. Attacks are most likely coordinated based on addressing a censorship or moral issue, but also for their potential for laughs or attacking actors with unwarranted self-importance.[iv] The operations that attract most media attention address social injustices and other issues, especially ones concerning censorship of the internet.[v] SOPA protests brought publicity to the bill itself and the fact that its wording could be exploited to censor the internet.[vi] Protests against BART centered on the blackout of cellular service to limit a suspected protest.[vii]
Anonymous first emerged in 2006 at 4chan.org, a popular image sharing site,[viii] as a simple internet group that conducted trolling escapades against many different groups. Trolling in its simplest form consists of internet pranking an individual with DDoS attacks, prank calling, or sending unpaid pizzas to the residence of the target.[ix] Anonymous addressed the Church of Scientology’s cover-up of a leaked Tom Cruise video With Project Chanology. The January 2008 attack began with these same trolling tactics until Mark Bunker, a devout critic of the church, posted a video online urging Anonymous to end their childish trolling ways and enter the political realm.[x] The group shifted gears and organized a successful protest.[xi] Over six thousand Anonymous followers, many donning Guy Falkes masks, gathered outside Churches of Scientology around the world on 10 February 2008.[xii] From this point on, Anonymous continued to show their presence both on the internet and in the public, raising awareness of social problems across the globe.
Anonymous’ success with Project Chanology led to further protests. In 2009 and 2010 it successfully aided protesters in the Arab Spring movement, allowing accurate reports to come out of Iran, Tunisia, Algeria, and other Middle East nations.[xiii] A year later, Anonymous launched its second successful political action in the US. San Francisco’s Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) responded to a possible protest on 11 August 2011 by shutting off cell service and increasing the police presence at San Francisco’s Civic Center BART Station.[xiv] The cell blackout angered Anonymous protesters, who promptly organized protests on 15 August. Wearing signature Guy Falkes masks, protesters successfully shut down four separate stations.[xv]
[i] http://www.thelantern.com/mobile/campus/anonymous-group-hacks-sites-in-reprisal-protest-sopa-and-pipa-1.2747479 (High)
[ii] http://socialbarrel.com/anonymous-hacks-sony-again-for-supporting-sopa/29985/ (High)
[iii] After the protest 101 Senators and Representatives opposed the bill http://www.propublica.org/nerds/item/sopa-opera-update (High)
[iv] http://www.irongeek.com/i.php?page=security/understanding-anonymous (Medium)
[v] http://www.irongeek.com/i.php?page=security/understanding-anonymous
[vi] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/18/sopa-blackout-internet-censorship_n_1211905.html
[vii] http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2011/08/11/bart-warns-riders-about-planned-protest-of-officer-shooting/
[viii] http://mediacommons.futureofthebook.org/tne/pieces/anonymous-lulz-collective-action (High)
[ix] http://mediacommons.futureofthebook.org/tne/pieces/anonymous-lulz-collective-action (High)
[x] http://mediacommons.futureofthebook.org/tne/pieces/anonymous-lulz-collective-action (High)
[xi] http://news.cnet.com/8301-10789_3-9859513-57.html, video available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_3DpGT1roU
[xii] IRC channels put the number of protesters at between 6,000 and 8,000 http://web.archive.org/web/20080213141939/http://www.news.com.au/technology/story/0,25642,23189971-5014108,00.html
[xiii] http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/interactive/2011/05/2011519182744550587.html
[xiv] http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2011/08/11/bart-warns-riders-about-planned-protest-of-officer-shooting/
[xv] http://blogs.kqed.org/newsfix/2011/08/15/bart-decries-hacker-attack-defends-cell-phone-shutdown/
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