FBI Arrests 14 in Raids Against Anonymous

[Lvl 64 Klutz]

Say what you will about Anonymous' ideals and principles, they are guilty on several occasions of cyber terrorism. Though I do agree that they don't deserve to have the FBI up their asses as much as some other groups.

 

[Gamblerjoe]

it seems to me that it doesnt matter what Anonymous is, or what the definition of "member" is. these people are not being arrested for being a member of Anonymous. they are being arrested for committing specific crimes.

 

[Twilight_guy]

I support the arrest and prosecution of criminals responsible for illegal actions like hacking and cyber-attacks. Anonymous might be a fifthly hive of scum and villainy but the organization (if that term applies to the thing) does not necessarily only have criminals. I want police to take down criminals for their crimes but launching a campaign to take down the whole organization seems a bit extreme and like a waste of resources (pounding sand isn't going to get them anywhere).

 

[mjc0961]

They don't get it. Anonymous is everyone who stands up to fight injustice, corruption and censorship.

If I do it and hide my name I'm Anonymous. And every time I hear about governments stomping down on people trying to make the world a better place I'm more tempted to join them.

If Anon's crimes were in real life and not the internet they would be smashing windows and chaining themselves to business gates in protest. The local police would give them a fine or small jail sentence, but because it's the internet and they threaten large company's finances they're called terrorists and people call for their execution, it's ridiculous hysteria.

Probably because their crimes are a lot more severe than just chaining themselves to gates and busting windows. Just because it's the internet doesn't mean the crimes don't count anymore. And it doesn't matter if they can stop "anonymous" or not. If they can find the actual people who committed these crimes, then they should be arrested and brought to trial for them. Who cares if they can't actually take down anon.

I'm not saying that because it's the internet there should be no punishment, I'm trying to understand why committing a crime on the internet warrant FBI raids and life imprisonment if the baying public doesn't get the death penalty they want. While committing an analogous crime in the physical world would be worth a slap on the wrist.

Sitting in front of bulldozers costs that company thousands of pounds but we don't hear about high-profile court cases against those who do it, they just spend a couple of nights in a cell.

Because your comparison to a "real world" crime isn't actually remotely analogous to what Anon has been doing. Breaking a window is not even remotely close to what anon has done.

 

[Actual]

Say what you will about Anonymous' ideals and principles, they are guilty on several occasions of cyber terrorism. Though I do agree that they don't deserve to have the FBI up their asses as much as some other groups.

Gosh yes they're terrorists, I'd forgotten. I'm so terrified they're going to...I'm scared they're...

No, wait a minute, they've never committed a single violent act, never killed anyone or hurt anyone. The only things that should be terrified are the fat wallets that are being dented. I was a little nervous they might spread my personal detailed, not terrified no and once I'd tightened up my security I wasn't worried about that either.

You know who decided they're terrorists? The US government, because a sure-fire guaranteed way to get the American public on your side is to call your opponents terrorists.

Criminals and immature, sure you could call them these things, but to call them terrorists is laughable.

Probably because their crimes are a lot more severe than just chaining themselves to gates and busting windows. Just because it's the internet doesn't mean the crimes don't count anymore. And it doesn't matter if they can stop "anonymous" or not. If they can find the actual people who committed these crimes, then they should be arrested and brought to trial for them. Who cares if they can't actually take down anon.

Their crimes aren't more severe. A DDOS attack is shutting down a business for a while causing it a loss of profit. That's exactly the same as a sit in protest where people chain themselves to the front gate of a business preventing them from going about their work.

Breaking into databases and publishing the details would be like walking into an unlocked physical office and grabbing the files then going to the newspapers and saying look this company doesn't care about it's customer's personal details. The story would be a good laugh for everyone.

I'm not saying they shouldn't be punished, they committed crimes even if those crimes were to fight larger crimes. I am saying that the punishment should match the crime and at the moment a cyber crime gets a worse punishment that a physical crime.

 

[benbenthegamerman]

Anonymous is becoming more of a scapegoat for everyone's problems than they are probably doing all these things. However, these 14 anon members will not be arrested for that long. The government has no evidence against them other than guilt by association.

 

[Lvl 64 Klutz]

Say what you will about Anonymous' ideals and principles, they are guilty on several occasions of cyber terrorism. Though I do agree that they don't deserve to have the FBI up their asses as much as some other groups.

Gosh yes they're terrorists, I'd forgotten. I'm so terrified they're going to...I'm scared they're...

No, wait a minute, they've never committed a single violent act, never killed anyone or hurt anyone. The only things that should be terrified are the fat wallets that are being dented. I was a little nervous they might spread my personal detailed, not terrified no and once I'd tightened up my security I wasn't worried about that either.

You know who decided they're terrorists? The US government, because a sure-fire guaranteed way to get the American public on your side is to call your opponents terrorists.

Criminals and immature, sure you could call them these things, but to call them terrorists is laughable.

I never called them terrorists. I certainly don't think they are terrorists. The US Government defines hacking as a form of Cyber Terrorism. I was simply using the legal term, not the God-fearing, redneck, tea party term.

 

[Tiger Sora]

Inserts V for Vendetta speech.
They can arrest 14 they can arrest 1000 but Anon will always be. Someone will always champion the call.

 

[Mouse_Crouse]

I'm not saying that because it's the internet there should be no punishment, I'm trying to understand why committing a crime on the internet warrant FBI raids and life imprisonment if the baying public doesn't get the death penalty they want. While committing an analogous crime in the physical world would be worth a slap on the wrist.

Sitting in front of bulldozers costs that company thousands of pounds but we don't hear about high-profile court cases against those who do it, they just spend a couple of nights in a cell.

The crimes committed warrant an FBI raid, for the simple reason that they are the ones with jurisdiction. Multi-state and cross-border crimes fall under the jurisdiction of the FBI. Thinking they will get more then some jail time is just silly wishful thinking on hot-blooded posters on the internet. People get way too wrapped up in this stuff. They arn't gonna be charged with war crimes and hang from the gallows. I would expect some jail times for the biggest offenders, which is usually who they go after anyway.

 

[Actual]

Say what you will about Anonymous' ideals and principles, they are guilty on several occasions of cyber terrorism. Though I do agree that they don't deserve to have the FBI up their asses as much as some other groups.

Gosh yes they're terrorists, I'd forgotten. I'm so terrified they're going to...I'm scared they're...

No, wait a minute, they've never committed a single violent act, never killed anyone or hurt anyone. The only things that should be terrified are the fat wallets that are being dented. I was a little nervous they might spread my personal detailed, not terrified no and once I'd tightened up my security I wasn't worried about that either.

You know who decided they're terrorists? The US government, because a sure-fire guaranteed way to get the American public on your side is to call your opponents terrorists.

Criminals and immature, sure you could call them these things, but to call them terrorists is laughable.

I never called them terrorists. I certainly don't think they are terrorists. The US Government defines hacking as a form of Cyber Terrorism. I was simply using the legal term, not the God-fearing, redneck, tea party term.

Fair enough, sorry for going on a rant at you. I wasn't aware cyber-terrorism was an official US legal term, I thought it was just something touted by the media to get folks riled up.

It's a really stupid name for it when there's no terror involved though.

 

[Mogget128723]

They don't get it. Anonymous is everyone who stands up to fight injustice, corruption and censorship.

If I do it and hide my name I'm Anonymous. And every time I hear about governments stomping down on people trying to make the world a better place I'm more tempted to join them.

If Anon's crimes were in real life and not the internet they would be smashing windows and chaining themselves to business gates in protest. The local police would give them a fine or small jail sentence, but because it's the internet and they threaten large company's finances they're called terrorists and people call for their execution, it's ridiculous hysteria.

^This.

I find myself regularly astounded by how unreasonably thick news agencies can be about Anonymous. It's not a defined group, it's a movement: and that's why I tend to rely on the Escapist for my global news requirements.

 

[Nikolaz72]

To be honest chances are that out of the 2 Million (Probably more) people connected to anon. And then catching 14. Odds are they are DDOSERS. Not the ones that did the job.

 

[Hungry Donner]

Inserts V for Vendetta speech.

Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of Fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a by-gone vexation, stands vivified and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin vanguarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition.

The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it's my very good honor to meet you and you may call me V.

 

[Mouse_Crouse]

*snip*
However, these 14 anon members will not be arrested for that long. The government has no evidence against them other than guilt by association.

Am I missing some part of this story. I didn't see anywhere where the government stated what evidence they do and don't have. These 14 were arrested because they have specific evidence against them. If they simply were being looked at because they were in Anon then they would be "under investigation" not sitting in a holding cell awaiting charges.

 

[dinnerordie17]

afdgafdg

 

[Jeans44]

Wow 14 DDOS'ers who probably don't deserve it go to jail, the FBI probably has better things to do.

 

[Avatar Roku]

I'm not saying that because it's the internet there should be no punishment, I'm trying to understand why committing a crime on the internet warrant FBI raids and life imprisonment if the baying public doesn't get the death penalty they want. While committing an analogous crime in the physical world would be worth a slap on the wrist.

Sitting in front of bulldozers costs that company thousands of pounds but we don't hear about high-profile court cases against those who do it, they just spend a couple of nights in a cell.

The crimes committed warrant an FBI raid, for the simple reason that they are the ones with jurisdiction. Multi-state and cross-border crimes fall under the jurisdiction of the FBI. Thinking they will get more then some jail time is just silly wishful thinking on hot-blooded posters on the internet. People get way too wrapped up in this stuff. They arn't gonna be charged with war crimes and hang from the gallows. I would expect some jail times for the biggest offenders, which is usually who they go after anyway.

I'm quoting you because this bares repeating. People hear it's the FBI and assume that this means the crime is seen as unforgivable by the government, but that is not the case. The FBI, first and foremost, exists so that crimes which cross state (or, to an extent, town) borders can still be prosecuted. Just because they were arrested by the FBI does not mean they're going to get waterboarded, for christ's sake, and it's not a statement on the severity of the crime, only (to an extent) the scope.

 

[Wandrecanada]

snip

It would be prudent to use the word 'alleged' in your article as you do live in the United States and nothing in your article points to proven evidence that these people are even part of 'Anonymous'.