Anonymous

Since we have not had a discussion in class this week, I have taken the time to talk about current events – specifically, Anonymous.

I had first heard about Anonymous when they became an active interest on Twitter. Their efforts, in this circumstance, dealt with an issue on massive deaths in a Middle Eastern Country. I cannot remember the particulars because it was quite some years ago; however, I took an interest in them back then and I am now reemerging my interest.

Recently, Anonymous made an announcement that they were coming for ISIS. They claimed to “not forgive” and “not forget,” as in their slogan. I was scrolling through Facebook when I saw their video. I watched it intently trying to grasp their mission. I understood, through the video, that they wanted to put a stop to ISIS, as many people want, but what was fascinating to me was their sense of patriotism. I remember Anonymous being a group that was only interested in bringing about the truth. I never understood their goal or mission in the first place. I had a small background knowledge that they were independent and for themselves. I wasn’t quite sure if I was right in my accusations, so I researched them.

Anonymous was formed in 2003 but never truly began their mission until 2008. Their mission is to enforce the Constitution and the “fight for Internet freedom and the freedom of speech,” (w3bsecurity). Their missions have varied from exposing rapist acts, shutting down racist influences, verifying company frauds, attacking Church of Scientology, slamming Westboro Baptist Church, and having multiple missions across the world to protect citizens. The interesting thing about Anonymous is that they are a collaborative group of people who cannot be traced or tracked to any specific location, holds no official, and shows no pattern. They work undercover and in secret to deface the threats they see each nation facing.

From what I have uncovered thus far, Anonymous have only used their powers for good. Although they have tapped into illegal zones, they have only done so to expose the truth to the nations. They are known as hackivists and they are a mysterious group that only proves to act when help is needed; Anonymous certainly knows its way around computers and Internet. They saved a 15 year-old girl from a rape case where the government were letting the perpetrators free; however, Anonymous hacked the files of the case and exposed the evidence needed to prove the perpetrators guilty. They have also hacked Mexican drug cartels and child pornography sites. It seems they work to take down home pages of influential people to expose the truth.

I still have a lot of questions that cannot be answered for the time being. There is a rumor going around that they just took down 5,500 ISIS accounts in their attempt to stop them. It seems that this legion works to enforce the proper freedoms that they believe are to be upheld. Although they may be seen as criminals, they are just exposing secrets that can hurt millions of people. If you don’t want to get caught, don’t do it – especially on the Internet.

Citations:

“Anonymous (group).” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, nd. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.

Love, Dylan. “8 Things That Anonymous, The Hacker ‘Terrorist’ Group, Has Done For Good.” Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc, 27 Apr. 2013. Web. 18. Nov. 2015.

Syrmopoulos, Jay. “Anonymous Takes Down 5,500 ISIS Accounts – 24 Hours After ISIS Called Them.” The Mind Unleashed. The Mind Unleashed Inc, 17 Nov. 2015. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.

“Who is Anonymous.” W3bsecurity. W3bsecurity. n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.