Anonymous.

Anonymous.

Mandddaaaaa 16 Jun 2011 00:34

Recently I'm sure we've all heard about the mysterious 'anonymous' group that's basically messing with everything. Anonymous may or may not have been behind the painful (for some of you) hacking of the PSN. Of course they're known for their childish hacking, trolling, and things like that, but I do believe it's coming down to more serious things. Yes, ATS did spark this thread, but that's not the only thing that has done so.

http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread716704/pg1
This thread is most recent, basically saying that Anonymous wants us to overrun the government, and learn how to fend for ourselves - type of deal.

I don't know if anyone has heard about it, or if it was even true to begin with, I didn't keep up with the story. Essentially, Anon got a hold of basically Iran's internet killswitch, or something of the like, and threatened to use it. I think it's clear they didn't, otherwise I think America would be in a buttload more of trouble, but I couldn't really give you a solid answer. Like I said, I didn't keep up with the story.

Anyway, my point.. Do you think Anonymous is a threat, or a good thing? Personally I'm worried about them taking matters into their own hands and causing trouble for everyone else. I'm scared they're going to get things out of control, granted they're trying to possess control, it's just not working. I really can only see this going badly, and Anon being known for their extremely good hacking skills, I see it all going badly.

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The numbers don't lie

Re: Anonymous.

TheGreatJuju 16 Jun 2011 00:49

I think it's the Internet equivalent of vandalism, shoplifting and bullying.

I really doubt the Iran story is even true, and I doubt they have ability to do what they purportedly claim, even if they possess the ambition. Groups of immature ideologues who term themselves "hackers" are a dime a dozen, and in my experience many actual hackers are ashamed to be associated with them. You also have to consider that this isn't one group, but a group being imitated and impersonated by many others.

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"They tell you, but do you believe it? If so, why?"

http://www.undeadrufus.com

Re: Anonymous.

Mandddaaaaa 16 Jun 2011 01:46

Yes, I can understand that. I know it's not just one group. I'm just worried that these sorts of activities are what's going to cause a mini-Egypt occurrence here in America. You get crazy retards on the internet threatening to do crazy things, or threatening big companies, and then it leads to the killswitch. I don't want America having a massive protest like Egypt did. Granted I do realize we have protests all ready, I think you get where I'm going?

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The numbers don't lie

Re: Anonymous.

TheGreatJuju 16 Jun 2011 07:29

I follow what you're saying. Whether I would want a protest, I suppose, would depend on the nature of the protest and what was being protested. Sadly, the only protests that are effective tend to be the massive ones, but it really doesn't look to me like most Americans have the wherewithal to really "protest" anything into or out of being. So much easier to keep voting the same idiots and crooks into office, then pointing at "the system" when everything goes to hell. Rinse, repeat every two, four and six years. In my view, this is only slightly less deplorable than wackos like our resident Truthseeker, who blames everything wrong in the world on made-up, trans-global conspiracies.

Things can change, sure, and the Internet has undeniably become a powerful social and political medium. But I don't think Egypt-style protests, let alone sweeping changes, are likely to spawn from angry children whose claim to fame is taking down a game console network. Just my opinion.

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"They tell you, but do you believe it? If so, why?"

http://www.undeadrufus.com

Re: Anonymous.

obaeyens 16 Jun 2011 21:40

I think it's the Internet equivalent of vandalism, shoplifting and bullying.

Completely true.

You also have to consider that this isn't one group, but a group being imitated and impersonated by many others.

That is completely irrelevant. By doing what they do they attract kids that look up to them.
It is like a gang member showing his new gun to his the little kids in the neighbourhood. He is direct responsible for any accidents when those kids want to mimic the gang member by playing with their fathers guns.

This group inspires kids that have zero computer knowledge to play with things that will damage their lives when caught. And they will get caught since they have zero computer experience.

Re: Anonymous.

TheGreatJuju 16 Jun 2011 22:03

That is completely irrelevant.

I have to disagree there. My point in saying that is that there is likely not one group, ergo there is not one centrally organized attempt to sow any one singular idea via the Internet. Manda's concern was these groups precipitating massive protests à la Egypt, so it seems to me that considering the nature of the entities involved is not just relevant, but directly so.

It is like a gang member showing his new gun to his the little kids in the neighbourhood. He is direct responsible for any accidents when those kids want to mimic the gang member by playing with their fathers guns.

This group inspires kids that have zero computer knowledge to play with things that will damage their lives when caught. And they will get caught since they have zero computer experience.

Curiosity about networks and security isn't a bad thing per se. In my experience, a fascination with "hacking" and unconventional use of technology is what inspires most people who work in the field to begin with. As with anything, however, childish curiosity has to be tempered by parental supervision.

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"They tell you, but do you believe it? If so, why?"

http://www.undeadrufus.com

Re: Anonymous.

Tomy2011 16 Jun 2011 17:26

Recently I'm sure we've all heard about the mysterious 'anonymous' group that's basically messing with everything.

I'm surprised that I didn't hear anything about this group.

Of course they're known for their childish hacking, trolling, and things like that, but I do believe it's coming down to more serious things.

Believe me, I just read about them and I am amazed. Did they make all those things? Jeez!

Re: Anonymous.

Tomy2011 16 Jun 2011 22:11

While they are bad people and do wrong things, I don't believe in something more serious than what they did until now, like exploding an entire city. They are internet hackers. If you believe it would turn into a 'national security' matter, I have to disagree.

Last edited on 16 Jun 2011 22:11 by Tomy2011 Show more

Re: Anonymous.

3WMElliott 16 Jun 2011 23:51

There is a difference between Anonymous and anonymous. Yeah, this might take a few paragraphs…

To be anonymous gives you a certain freedom, you can to an extent do what you want to do, 'safe' in the knowledge that it's your actions that speak for you, rather than your identity. You can still be an idiot and break the law, but that barrier of anonymity gives you a bit of strength you might not have had otherwise.

Anonymous the group however is a collection of somewhat like minded people putting that idea of anonymity to use, actively campaigning on what they deem worth campaigning for or highlighting an issue that needs to be discussed. The funny thing is that for each Anonymous member who agrees with the Anonymous whole, there will be a member who disagrees with it - it is not true to say Anonymous wants to shut down governments, but it is true that anonymous people want to shut them down, if that makes sense.

While Anonymous the group have done some rather stupid things, they've highlighted some rather important things too, and they've even combined the two to highlight important things in stupid ways. I liken them to WikiLeaks in a sense, in that if something needs to get done someone will do it, someone will be there to get the ball rolling and make it known, whether it causes a storm of controversy or not.

Will Anonymous ever overthrow a government? Nope. Will they annoy a lot of people with their approach to any given government? Probably. Will they inspire people to act on their own accord? Perhaps. All it takes is someone to carry on with a campaign after Anonymous has seen fit to abandon it, and before you know it we're back into the murky waters of anonymous people.

Re: Anonymous.

Mandddaaaaa 17 Jun 2011 01:18

I suppose this all makes me feel a bit better. I was just worried maybe the government would somehow feel threatened, and basically give up all hope or something of that nature. In some senses I feel as though they can help us realize what change we really need, but in other senses, I feel they're a bit ridiculous..

Either way though, we'll see how it all pans out, I'm sure it won't last long. Or I hope, anyway.

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The numbers don't lie