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[Loud Whispers]

It's all situational.

[Trapezohedron]

It's all situational.

What he said.

I like Anon when they're making a ruckus for a good cause. But the method they're doing things doesn't exactly encourage others to take them seriously (their message, I mean) and only make government-types label them as hackers and nothing more.

[Valid_Dark]

This was the scene at Polish parliament last night.


politicians wearing anon masks = win

[Vattic]

I like some of the things done under that name but others much less so.

As for denial of service attacks: they remind me of sit-ins.

[Loud Whispers]

This was the scene at Polish parliament last night.


politicians wearing anon masks = win

Shame the Polish government ignored them.

Actually, shame Europe is ignoring the internet.

No, fuck that, WHY WOULD THEY EVEN PROPOSE THAT CRAP.

On a lighter note, I spotted someone on 4chan using Urists as a measurement. Clearly there is a DF player on /b/oard.

[DrKillPatient]

I can't recall a time I didn't support why they've done something, but I don't always support how they do it. I can see a DDoS working on, say, the WBC, but on US government websites? That's just silly. I would see more of a point in leaking information on illegal activities committed by the more powerful offending parties, ala WikiLeaks.

While I think that there are some dedicated, technologically knowledgeable hacktivitsts in Anonymous, there seem to be a lot of people who just think h@ck1ng is, l13k, t0ta11y l33t, d00d and who downplay its message of internet freedom because of that. The latter sort of people just download the LOIC, or whatever that tool is called, hit Install -> OK, and then go brag about their l33t h@ck1ng 5ki11s to everyone else. As an aspiring hacker (the good kind!), I feel very annoyed that 'hacker' is now synonymous with 'cracker', and these sort of people aren't helping that!

I'm also somewhat ambivalent about the Guy Fawkes masks. On one hand, V is an awesome character in the comic/movie, and he does make some excellent and eloquent points regarding revolt/dissent. Much of his nature fits the 'spirit' of Anonymous. On the other, perhaps it comes off to some people as childish or silly to be hiding behind the mask of a comic book character. Then again, they are supposed to be anonymous...

[Loud Whispers]

I can't recall a time I didn't support why they've done something, but I don't always support how they do it. I can see a DDoS working on, say, the WBC, but on US government websites? That's just silly. I would see more of a point in leaking information on illegal activities committed by the more powerful offending parties, ala WikiLeaks.

Lulzsec?

I'm also somewhat ambivalent about the Guy Fawkes masks. On one hand, V is an awesome character in the comic/movie, and he does make some excellent and eloquent points regarding revolt/dissent. Much of his nature fits the 'spirit' of Anonymous. On the other, perhaps it comes off to some people as childish or silly to be hiding behind the mask of a comic book character. Then again, they are supposed to be anonymous...

Erm... V is cool and all, but guess where he got it from?
*Cough cough*

Guy Fawkes

[Sensei]

Doesn't need its own thread.

[Cthulhu]

Let's all remember that Guy Fawkes tried to blow up Parliament and reinstate the Catholic church as puppet masters of England.  They don't burn effigies of Guy Fawkes on 11/5 because they think he's cool.

[DrKillPatient]

Erm... V is cool and all, but guess where he got it from?
*Cough cough*

Guy Fawkes

I've heard Anon reference V for Vendetta fairly often, and I don't recall any notable direct reference to Fawkes. I therefore assume that the use/symbolism of the mask is inherited primarily from V wearing it. Is that not the case?

[USEC_OFFICER]

Erm... V is cool and all, but guess where he got it from?
*Cough cough*

Guy Fawkes

I've heard Anon reference V for Vendetta fairly often, and I don't recall any notable direct reference to Fawkes. I therefore assume that the use/symbolism of the mask is inherited primarily from V wearing it. Is that not the case?

Probably, but what Loud Whispers is trying to say is that the mask that V is wearing is a Guy Fawkes mask.

[Muz]

When Al Qaeda attacked the world trade center nobody said "Wow, they're right, we are the Great Satan.  America should change its ways."  Same principles are at work here.

Uh, well, Americans did start rethinking about themselves after 9/11. I knew quite a lot of people who were against American interventionist policies because of 9/11, and that momentum has picked up since then.

Though that picked up much faster during the Iraq war. Which proves the point that violence never gains sympathy.

Anonymous has never really been a smart group though, they just break stuff because they're pissed, typical spoiled brat behavior. Get a whole bunch of them and you get some kind of street gang. DDoSes are the equivalent of blunt weapons, so it's not like they needed any skill.

[alway]

DDoS's are more useful as a recruiting tool than actually doing anything. It's sorta thumbing their collective noses at the government and getting press coverage for it. The really useful things are more like the HBGary hack, where they not only showed how terrible an internet security firm's security actually was, but in the process uncovered and made public various information about nasty goings-on involving such things as charging the government for entirely inaccurate info about anon to a plan drafted to negatively spin wikileaks. Those have power.

[Max White]

I am very impressed by them and what they do.
Here is a collective with no central figures that has the ability to act as a unit. It is spectacular. Putting aside the morality of what they do and how they do it, the very fact that they do it is a wonder. It is like mob mentality on a global scale that spans days, weeks, months and maybe even years. They are almost a sick parody of humanity, and instead of something from a book or movie, they actually exist. Stuff like that doesn't happen in real life, or at least the real life that we measure things against, regardless of what real real life has to say on the matter.

As for the morality of the issue, they are jumpy, aggressive and irresponsible. Any charismatic figure can point to these flaws and make their cause look immoral, because as we all know, anything coming from a flawed entity must not only be flawed, but innately evil, thus why no politician will ever stoop so low as to admit they are human and make mistakes. So they will often damage the reputation of what they fight for, when other, better thought out action would have gotten them what they want with less effort.

Unless what they want is a fight, and I'm prone to think that is the case, and it makes me not like them at all, because there is nothing worse than a bully who can cover their actions by saying they have the moral ground, even if they are right.

[RedKing]

I think we've had this thread about half a dozen times. And no, I'm not a fan.