By Dylan Moran
“We are anonymous. We are legion. We do not forgive. We do not forget. Expect us” – that is the catchcry of anonymous.
The organisation is commonly referred to as a ‘cyber-terrorism group’ because it’s a convenient way of describing anonymous (anon); a group difficult to understand.
They are often held up as an example of everything that is wrong with the internet, and the way the web desensitises users, allowing them to verbally attack and bully whoever they have a problem with.
But there are two sides to anonymous. There are those who are in it for the ‘lulz’ – creating their own humour via the misfortune of others, like Jessi Slaughter. Then there are those referred to as ‘moralfags’, who believe they can harness the power of anon to make a difference in the world.
That side of anon is my generation’s version of the Million Man March, the Martin Luther King, Kate Sheppard or Nelson Mandela.
Their methods are unconventional and, most of the time, unethical, but they get the job done.
Their unusual means make it easy to label them as a terrorist group; as bad, evil, people – which is true; they have done some terrible things.
For example, they attacked the website of the Epilepsy Foundation of America, setting up flashing animations in the hopes of triggering attacks.
Or the aforementioned Jessi Slaughter harassment; or the anecdotes we’ve all heard about members of anonymous joining suicide chatrooms and pushing people to the edge of despair in the hope they crack.
But equally, they believe they’ve done some great things like discrediting Scientology, helping spread information following the 2009 Iranian elections, turning their eye toward online debt collectors who were using anonymous’ own methods against companies who didn’t comply with software takedown notices, or software company HBGary Federal, who claimed that they had ‘infiltrated’ anonymous.
The response was swift, with HBGary’s site taken down, its email server hacked and leaked to the public.
This has been anon’s way of operating. You offend them and they’ll take down your website and dig through your online trash, trying to find something which will tarnish your image.
They’ll order pizzas to be delivered to your work, home, wherever. They’ll publish your address, phone number, bank details online because that’s the extent of their power – which is something to fear in some instances, but not in others.
If they do attack Internal Affairs, it won’t be the full brunt of the group; it’ll be a few people. Maybe a few hundred if they stir up the hornet’s nest on a slow day.
Anonymous are protestors, pure and simple. In the 70s, they would have been protestors who also ran a radio station. In the 80s and 90s, they would have had a public access TV station.
They have attacked governments in the past, after Australian politician Stephen Conroy announced plans to filter websites at an ISP level.
They took down then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s homepage, and a few others, for a few hours, to a few days.
Twice.
It’s part of Internal Affairs’ role to know about these sorts of things, so they will have liaised with Australia and will be prepared – Australia’s response to the matter was ‘we’ll just leave it ‘til they get bored then put the sites up again’.
When New Zealand looked at the same filtering measures our Tasman neighbours were considering, we got no attention from anon.
The Twitter Blackout campaign had more success, thanks to many industry insiders and campaigners, I know there were many, but Russell Brown jumps to mind as something of a figurehead.
None of those people have voiced any kind of call to arms against Internal Affairs recently.
The reaction of a few on anonnews has been along the lines of “Oh, I didn’t even know about this until it was in the media”.
Because, when we look at it, is New Zealand really becoming like China?
Does anon care, or are the majority more focused on Libya, Egypt, and actual social change?
Will today’s events result in a larger scale attack against the DIA, due to the publicity and people knowing about them?
I guess we’ll have to wait until Monday to see.
3 News