On one instance, members of the group took part in a trolling raid on the online community Habbo Hotel, where black men in gray suits and afros prevented members from entering the hotel's pool, claiming the pool was closed "due to fail and AIDs" when questioned. The trigger of this was due to rumours on 4chan, which accused Habbo moderators of racism, as it was alleged that they were banning players whose avatars were darker-skinned. Another Anonymous effort named OpBART targeted the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit officials who disabled mobile phone reception on station platforms. The group accused BART officers of killing innocent passengers, preventing people of their right to protest, and disabling people from using emergency services during the cellphone shutdown. As a result, Anonymous defaced BART's website and posted a nude picture of BART's spokesperson.
Media outlets have often characterized the Anonymous group in a negative portrayal. For instance, Fox News once described the Anonymous group as "the internet hate machine." During the summer of 2011, Anonymous started targeting Fortune 500 corporations, leading many companies to fear the group and its unpredictability. Coleman's introduction aims to illustrate the transition of how Anonymous went from a collective group of internet trolls to also becoming one of the most prominent activist groups today.
What are your thoughts on the Anonymous hacker group and their intentions? Do you think they are conveyed in a more negative light than they should be despite the often dark nature of the 'lulz'?
I have read some articles about the Anonymous hacker group in the past. I typically believe that they do bring awareness on certain issues that are often under the radar. As you mentioned in your post, Anonymous is known for ruining the reputation of people and organizations that have much power in society through acts of exposure such as releasing embarrassing content. The intentions of Anonymous I believe vary from what they are trying “expose”.
ReplyDeleteI think Anonymous is portrayed in a much darker light because we do not have a “face” to match to the person behind the screen. There is no clear leader or who runs or directs the group. More over, I believe that Anonymous gets into the heads of others due to the mysterious identity. Additionally, Anonymous typically targets individuals and have a dark sense of humor. Anonymous typically makes headlines due to exposure of negative news. However, I do believe that Anonymous brings to light some issues and stands up for the better of humanity at times. For example, Anonymous helped get some Islamic State linked Twitter accounts suspended. I think it’s unrealistic for an online group to do so much. Furthermore, negative news sells much faster and people attach this label to the group more so. Overall, I find it very interesting some of the information they bring forward through the means of the Internet. Additionally, it also makes me wonder how they could possibly get their hands on so much information.
I found this article on Anonymous declaring “ total war” on Donald Trump. However, the article discusses how Anonymous has “disappeared” since Trump has gained power. The article goes on to discuses several news events that Anonymous had part in such as the Arab Spring in 2012.
https://news.vice.com/story/anonymous-declared-war-on-trump-and-then-disappeared
The article questions if not Anonymous has finally ended and put their antics to rest. Do you think with the means of technology, information and social media at our disposal a group like Anonymous could ever “die”?
I think there is a fine line between what is deemed acceptable and completely inappropriate in terms of "hacking". When looking at the Habbo Hotel incident, it is a statement that is pointing out potential racism on a website. But when we look at other hacking incidents like the Ashley Madison hack that released all the information on its users. A hack like this is affecting peoples lives and releasing personal information. Even if what these people were doing was morally wrong, no one has the right to realize their private information. In that way it becomes more than just trolling. It is sabotage of a persons life.
ReplyDeleteNo matter where you go on the Internet you will run into trolls and hackers. By being a participant of on the Internet you are opening the doors to being trolled or hacked. In regards to the group Anonymous, they seem to be making a statement or in some ways protesting. They are not harming anyone and therefore they are using their right of freedom of speech