What do you think of Anonymous?

[ZenTaoist]

Anonymous just came out with a new video called "Message to Corrupt Leaders" where they are basically talking more of the same stuff they've been saying for 3 years or so now.


My question is what does everyone here think of anonymous? To me, they just seem to be this unorganized network of scattered hackers who are in most cases well-informed, but don't quite do anything substantial, and fail to organize anything on a mass scale or even fail to realize that the global capitalist order is what needs to be overthrown. They have rhetoric about banks and "corrupt governments", but not really what causes them to be this way, or what the plan of action to overthrow them should be.

They occasionally shut down a website, and it's back up the next day. This is somehow a huge revolutionary accomplishment? Anyways, you can look up the video on youtube. They do speak of ending capitalism and speak about how we are enslaved by nationalism, but then the end of the video shows the Guy Fawke's mask in front of an American flag :rolleyes:

[billydan225]

I like anonymous but what is their goal

[bad ideas actualised by alcohol]

Anonymous just came out with a new video called "Message to Corrupt Leaders" where they are basically talking more of the same stuff they've been saying for 3 years or so now.


My question is what does everyone here think of anonymous? To me, they just seem to be this unorganized network of scattered hackers who are in most cases well-informed, but don't quite do anything substantial, and fail to organize anything on a mass scale or even fail to realize that the global capitalist order is what needs to be overthrown. They have rhetoric about banks and "corrupt governments", but not really what causes them to be this way, or what the plan of action to overthrow them should be.

They occasionally shut down a website, and it's back up the next day. This is somehow a huge revolutionary accomplishment? Anyways, you can look up the video on youtube. They do speak of ending capitalism and speak about how we are enslaved by nationalism, but then the end of the video shows the Guy Fawke's mask in front of an American flag :rolleyes:

You're largely correct. They are mostly radical liberals. They lack revolutionary theory and organization. Their attacks are either meaningless, ddosing companies that didn't have much visitors anyways. Or lack of clear goals so their attacks that do bring attention won't change anything.

They can, in some situations, be supportive of us or easier to get on "our" side.
Although that depends on the person.

[The Jay]

I don't think that they are that productive to be honest. If they were to release incriminating documents that would be better than shutting down MIT's webpage.

[Os Cangaceiros]

Some of what they do is pretty damn funny, like when they fucked Stratfor over.

[Ravachol]

Talking about 'the goals' of 'anonymous' is even more senseless than talking about the ELF or ALF as an organisation, because at least the latter define themselves by a common platform of affinity. As for their effectiveness (or lack thereof), I'm sure that for all the minor (or major) DDoS'ing and whatnot, they still have a bigger impact than the latest paper-sale drive or exercise in placard waving.

[Art Vandelay]

Anonymous is not a homogeneous group, in all honesty they probably have everyone ranging from anarchists, liberals and an-caps, using the anonymous banner. They do some cool stuff sometimes, but they aren't a revolutionary organization.

[Jesus Saves Gretzky Scores]

Not a force for revolution, but it's still something for now.

[Lobotomy]

I like their rhetoric but I agree they don't do anything very substantial. I remember when they hacked the Syrian government's website, that was pretty ballsy.

[Os Cangaceiros]

Anonymous is not a homogeneous group, in all honesty they probably have everyone ranging from anarchists, liberals and an-caps, using the anonymous banner. They do some cool stuff sometimes, but they aren't a revolutionary organization.

Yeah I remember there was some tension a while back between the radical left-wingers and anarchists in the group, and the liberals/everyone else, over some of the rhetoric Anonymous was releasing regarding cop killing and such.

[billydan225]

I liked when they tried to shut down facebook

[Art Vandelay]

Yeah I remember there was some tension a while back between the radical left-wingers and anarchists in the group, and the liberals/everyone else, over some of the rhetoric Anonymous was releasing regarding cop killing and such.

Did the advocate violence against police?

[Os Cangaceiros]

Yeah, they released the info of a bunch of cops and informants, with a message like "Off the pigs" or something like that, with a picture of an AK47 or something.

[Futility Personified]

I recall someone put up some info on this board about a lulzsec hacker who ended up being ratted out, who was quite a big anarchist. I inferred from that piece that most of the more millitant leftist types ended up in lulzsec, but hopefully there are one or two in anonymous. That said, they seem kinda aimless, getting a bit too much in their own hype. Some of the things they've done have been pretty, pretty, preeeeetty good though.

[Agathor]

I used to hang around on their IRC channels a lot when I was a teenager, before they went Amnesty International. They're like Assange: they have a real taste for media attention. They turned from a group of stunningly cruel and sadistic pranksters to hacktivists within the space of a month when they realized that apparently serious newspapers would cover their shitty little ddos attacks in dramatic detail.

Also they know comically little about infosec stuff. There's always been a very small and tight group of people within them who know a lot about hacking, and generously let the rabble share credit for their takedowns.

[Agathor]

I inferred from that piece that most of the more millitant leftist types ended up in lulzsec.

Lulzsec was about four people, so no.

[ellipsis]

OpBART was pretty awesome, although it was really only called for by Anonymous/one Anon, and with the expection of round 1, almost completely carried out by local radicals/anarchists who were more interested in protesting BART than being a part of anonymous.

[Red Commissar]

Some of what they do is pretty damn funny, like when they fucked Stratfor over.

On that note, there was an article about one of those guys involved in that hacking. It helped to highlight some of the political views of the members, as well as the way the police have been able to get at them.

http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/the-rise-and-fall-of-jeremy-hammond-enemy-of-the-state-20121207

IIRC it was posted here by you a few weeks back.