Anonymous Strikes Back, Hacks "Internet Security" Firm

[MarsProbe]

Anonymous isn't an organization like I first thought; I realize that now. It's just a bunch of bored teenagers with some mild computing skills and a "screw the world complex". They're not freedom fighters or whatever and they're not super-dangerous hackers. They think they're hot shit but in my opinion, this whole thing's not going to last very long. The US government, for all its flaws, doesn't take well to getting messed with.

Indeed, nothing would give me more pleasure than to see "Anonymous" dealt such a heavy blow that rips apart their pathetic so-called orgaonisation once and for all, and preferably ends up with most of them facing some jail time or at least having to stump up some hefty fines.

You can big these people up all you want and congratulate them for "sticking it to the man" but unless they have the guts to stick their scrawny frames out from behind their computers and enter the real world, then I couldn't even begin to have the slightest shred of respect for this ragtag bunch. It's time to grow up kids and do something useful with your life.

 

[Baralak]

Please, people, for the love of all that is good, try to understand. Anonymous is not a group. It's not an organization. It's not a bunch of hackers all banded together to accomplish a goal. Anonymous is a Mask.

The reason they seem so unfocused and so hard to catch, and the reason why sometimes they do great justice and other times they are just douchebags and criminals, is because they are not united. Anonymous is exactly like the Guy Fawkes mask it so often dons. You pick it up, you put it on, and now anything you do is put on the tab of the mask, not you.

Think of it as in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, when you reach the top of the thieves guild, you get the Gray Fox mask, and when you wear it, you have a 10,000 gold bounty and can do whatever you want, but when you take it off, you are you and nobody is any the wiser.

Great analogy! Couldn't explain it better myself!

 

[Dastardly]

Anonymous Strikes Back, Hacks "Internet Security" Firm

All they're doing at this point is feeding the idea that the internet needs to be more heavily policed. It's just some kids showing off tricks under the guise of activism, not having the foresight to see how their antics are actually working against their alleged goals.

For every pocket of "good" hackers flying the 'Anonymous' banner, there are a dozen of this childish, bad variety undoing it. This isn't a comic book. Faceless vigilantism just allows the established power to promote a culture of fear, and thus control.

What has made true revolutionaries of the past different is that they empowered the common man. They taught them. Gave them skills, organized them, and put them to work freeing themselves. They didn't flit around playing Batman or Zorro, spitting in the eye of the government in the name of the people--and thus helping to clench the iron fist on those same people.

Heavy policing the internet won't do any good because it's only run in the country doing it, so there'll be people all around the world ready to provide services to accommodate their needs.

A little bit of international cooperation won't be too hard to drum up, as these antics start to cross borders more often. Remember--the internet spans the world, but it still requires real infrastructure to access. There are places where governments can exert strict control, and I'd rather they didn't... but they will, because this sort of thing scares other people, too. Not just the ones in power.

 

[Little Duck]

I laughed. A lot.

 

[Imat]

I want Anonymous to be the global internet authority... they are fair, reasonable, and take no sides, just equality.

Best of all... they're not governed or goverment... they are everyday joes!

I'm not even sure if this is supposed to be a real thing...Did you mean this for sarcasm? Because honestly that sounds like the very worst possibility I can conceive of...Well, maybe not the very worst, but so close as to be a non-issue. And the very worst is hardly a possibility.

No good can come of Anonymous. Whatever good they could have done was canceled out long ago by their extreme willingness to hack into anybody and everybody's websites, do whatever they want, and call it "justice." Justice would be a fine and some jail-time for these people who believe themselves above the law. They ain't helping anybody, quite the opposite in fact, and I simply cannot support their methods, not in the least. There was a time, before I became a mature, responsible human being with some basic sense of right and wrong, when I would have been all for Anonymous. That time is long gone.

 

[Slinker07]

Duuue, y'know Baghdad is in Irak.... Makes little sense why they would great him has a martyr. Maybe some people in alfganistan. But then again, I doubt the generall population is very pleased how his actions ended up for them.

Crap. I didn't come prepared for a geography test and I look stupid for it. Well played.

Uh? You should actually know a little tiny bit of fact if you wanna talk politics, yes. If you simply did it by mistake is not something I want to pick on. I misspelled "general" so I'm not any better in that way. I didn't find your argument very likly in either way.

 

[captain underpants]

I can't wait till life bites these stupid kids in the ass.

When the government decides to start pushing ISPs to police their users activities, you can all thank this group of would-be e-vigilantes.

They want to do that anyway. At least someone is kicking against the pricks. But hey, you just keep on sitting on your complacent arse while any illusion of freedom you have is slowly eroded away by the control freaks in authority.

 

[RollingThunder]

Anonymous Strikes Back, Hacks "Internet Security" Firm

All they're doing at this point is feeding the idea that the internet needs to be more heavily policed. It's just some kids showing off tricks under the guise of activism, not having the foresight to see how their antics are actually working against their alleged goals.

For every pocket of "good" hackers flying the 'Anonymous' banner, there are a dozen of this childish, bad variety undoing it. This isn't a comic book. Faceless vigilantism just allows the established power to promote a culture of fear, and thus control.

What has made true revolutionaries of the past different is that they empowered the common man. They taught them. Gave them skills, organized them, and put them to work freeing themselves. They didn't flit around playing Batman or Zorro, spitting in the eye of the government in the name of the people--and thus helping to clench the iron fist on those same people.

Heavy policing the internet won't do any good because it's only run in the country doing it, so there'll be people all around the world ready to provide services to accommodate their needs.

A little bit of international cooperation won't be too hard to drum up, as these antics start to cross borders more often. Remember--the internet spans the world, but it still requires real infrastructure to access. There are places where governments can exert strict control, and I'd rather they didn't... but they will, because this sort of thing scares other people, too. Not just the ones in power.

Nope, why do you think wikilieaks have moved their server to Europe? because they accept it there, also this "International Cooperation" already been made years ago and it doesn't work well at all, we call it Interpol and their efficiency is bad, really bad.

And if there's demands, there will be supply, do you think if heavy policing will work in USA and Europe it will work too in Asia? no, because lots of countries (China, India, South Africa etc etc) will see this as an opportunity to create servers and get more $$$ from overseas.

Blocking the internet? can't do, businesses will cry foul, and lots of US manufacturing plants are now spread all over the world.

 

[Tim Mazzola]

Anonymous is so beautiful. Good show, guys. Good show.

 

[Lucifron]

1. Be the cofounder of an international e-security company working for the US Government.
2. Send passwords over email.
3. ....?!?!?!?!
4. Massive lulz.

 

[Lonely Swordsman]

Good to see the old hackers on steroids still around.

 

[LiquidGrape]

[.]

 

[Naheal]

Tip: DO NOT MESS WITH PEOPLE WHO INSTALL LINUX ON THEIR PLAYSTATIONS. SERIOUSLY. YOU ARE WASTING YOUR TIME.

I apologize for caps lock, but that really needed to be emphasized. 90% of the actual hackers of Anon actually do this. And they develop grudges.

 

[Frank_Sinatra_]

Snip

Of course you are correct here. There does need to be that line. But you currently have no chance of neutrality as it is.

I think of this as Robin Hood. Only replace robin with unknowns who dont care about the masses and replace the Sherrif with someone who thinks they are doing right but is being played like a puppet by those above him.

I feel no sadness or outrage for this company. They are getting rich on your and other American's information. This is why they were targeted. Remember that this company is not targetting but netting entire areas of internet usage, the info they find will be sold to whoever wants to buy it.

^This is sad. This is why someone like Anon needs to be there. There is a cost to 'stealing' information and luckily there are those at there willing to take the risks, especially now that the stakes are higher and RL punishment is the cost of failure.

I'll have no issue with Anon if they put up barriers, but I still just can't help but feel that this fighting will only end badly for all of us.
Yes it's good that they fight for our net neutrality, but there have got to be better ways of going about it... Or maybe a way that won't hurt us all.
Now I'm just repeating myself.

 

[AnarchistAbe]

Ugh, when I first heard about the stuff Anonymous did I had to lauugh, but now I'm just tired of hearing about them.

Ditto. I feel the same way about Anonymous that I do about petty street-thugs. I would like nothing more than to see a chunk of their members to go to federal prison.

Escapist, when that news comes, please let us know. But constantly posting about their illegal activities only encourages the attention hungry bastards.

 

[MasterSplinter]

That pastie link had me look up pastebin web sites on wikipedia. From then i read the captcha's article, then the REcaptcha article, and then the MacArthur Fellows Program article, then an editorial on the new york times about a MacArthur Fellow.

It was like a short tv tropes vist but i learned something.

 

[Hucket]

Its crafty, I'll give em that.

I think Anon. needs to police Anon. Those who tracked down that pedophile need to keep in check the random hackers they have in their midst. I know they are called Anonymous for a reason, but even they must know they must know a few other members. They can't llok at themselves as "neutral" or "the good guys" while they have people hacking legitimate companies (not including this so-called security company).

 

[The87Italians]

Anonymous oughtta send the Daemon after them.

Yeah.

I freaking love those books. I'm going to have to go read them again now.

OT: Anon never ceases to amaze me. Kind of reminds me of Fight Club.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

wow.

i just gotta lol about this. this is...hilarious.

FBI..your move...

 

[Clarity112]

The Escapist seems to be slip down the middle, I don't understand that. Anonymous is possibly the last bastion of humanity left in this world, their sticking up for ability to use the internet as is without the fucking government stepping in. Are we really so jaded that we hate the people on our side?