Anonymous Sends a Letter to the World

[MassiveGeek]

I'm behind you Anonymous! Freedom of Speech, woooh!

Do I get a Guy Fawkes mask now? <3

 

[Dastardly]

Second, I think that Anonymous sounds like it's about to do some good in the world. Considering their track record, I still don't trust Anonymous, but when they say something like this it makes me want to.

The track record of getting pedophile and animal abusers arrested, or the trolling or self important people and the foul sense of humour that's almost entirely contained to their forums?

Please read these.

Interesting, really, that you'd cite the article on "moral guardians." That's all Anon really is. The fact that some things turn out okay after they happen to get involved doesn't change that fact. Even a busted clock is right twice a day.

They're just jumping on a generic cause, "defending" a people who didn't ask them to, and in the process doing more to scare the public about the internet than anything. The claim is that governments rule by fear, and this is often true. But misguided "revolutionaries" with middle-school-guerilla tactics do more to create the fear that those governments can then use.

The difference between this kind of stuff and the "sit-ins" of the Civil Rights Movement? Those folks recognized that the sit-in itself has no meaning. It isn't a message, it isn't a cause. It's just a big attention-drawing device. It has no significance unless there is a follow-up to the event in which people use that brief burst of attention to say something meaningful. You're stealing the spotlight for a purpose, and using that brief moment to make that purpose clear.

What Anon is doing is just throwing a rock at the window and running. They're not "sitting in." They're not facing anything. No message is being delivered, because no one stays to deliver it. It's like kidnapping someone but not leaving a ransom note. Or worse, having the people you're fighting against write the ransom note for you--and they'll simply seize the opportunity to paint you in the worst light possible.

What they do is what they do. But trying to compare themselves to the civil rights movement? Nothing worthwhile is accomplished without risk, and they're taking no risks with these tactics. They're stealing the spotlight... and then just basking in it, rather than doing anything with it. Occasionally, there's a little post with some generic prattle involving quotes from famous people and broad statements about "Freedom this" and "Freedom that," but they're never really saying anything.

Hell, they have yet to present a single convincing case against copyright law, and that's supposedly their flagship deal. It appears they don't care to present a case. It's just about claiming a case, and using that as a guise to take potshots at "the man," in whatever form he's taking this week.

All sound and fury, signifying nothing.

 

[Citrus]

I support Anonymous, but every time I see one of their documents or videos it sounds like it was written by a thirteen-year-old. The video that was posted on the last page is especially cringe-worthy. Too bad the actual talented and intelligent people that make up Anonymous aren't the ones who try to handle the PR side of it. Although, if you think about it, that makes sense.

 

[Korten12]

I think it's insanely hypocritical to hide behind 'Anonymous' and demand others to give up every little bit of information they want.

Besides that, I'm getting very tired of this WikiLeaks hype.

Wow I just realized this. XD

 

[scyrin]

anyone else read the letter with the voice of the borg in their head?

 

[My name is Fiction]

I've always had a pleasant opinion of Anonymous. I'm big on freedom of speech, and the concept of the internet having guardians has always given me a bonerd. However the mask they wear makes them a joke. Guy Fawkes wanted to bring down the Protestant revolution to restore Catholic Domination. He's worse than the people Anonymous (and Anarchists) think he's fighting against. Therefore, just like people who wear the inverted cross as a sign to disrespect God, wearing a Guy Fawkes mask because you are for revolution only makes you an uneducated fool. http://www.cracked.com/article_18606_8-historic-symbols-that-mean-opposite-what-you-think.html

I read that article too! but I still believe in what they believe in

 

[TaboriHK]

This has pretentious teenagers written all over it. I find bastardizing the quotes of people, alive or (especially) dead out of context to justify one's actions to be intellectually weak. Also, no amount of DDOS attacks will compare to how the US government is openly giving it to Assange.

 

[Dags90]

Seems kinda... pretentious to me. I wonder what the average age of the people responsible for the document are...

Or if it's entirely one person.

A cursory glance would suggest it's one person, almost certainly authored by an American. All of the quotes by actual people are American, and Ron Paul certainly does not have much international notability, extensive references to the U.S. Constitution. Really, the letter makes Anon look kinda bad. Not particularly cosmopolitan, trying to seem more educated than they really are, etc.

 

[Verlander]

A load of rubbish. Ignore them and they will go away

 

[The Austin]

Anon quoted The Boondock Saints, therefore, they are automatically OK with me.

 

[Rhymenoceros]

That really reminded me of V.

Just realised from reading earlier posts and finding images of their protests that they wear the same mask as him as well...

 

[dancinginfernal]

Second, I think that Anonymous sounds like it's about to do some good in the world. Considering their track record, I still don't trust Anonymous, but when they say something like this it makes me want to.

I instantly thought of Cerberus from ME when reading that.

Personally, I'm interested to see how this whole Wikileaks incident works out. Maybe the U.S. will nuke the series of tubes on which the interwebs are built. Maybe Anonymous will get their way.

I, for one, am excited to find out.

 

[Dasmaster]

I've always had a pleasant opinion of Anonymous. I'm big on freedom of speech, and the concept of the internet having guardians has always given me a bonerd. However the mask they wear makes them a joke. Guy Fawkes wanted to bring down the Protestant revolution to restore Catholic Domination. He's worse than the people Anonymous (and Anarchists) think he's fighting against. Therefore, just like people who wear the inverted cross as a sign to disrespect God, wearing a Guy Fawkes mask because you are for revolution only makes you an uneducated fool. http://www.cracked.com/article_18606_8-historic-symbols-that-mean-opposite-what-you-think.html

This is sad. You clearly do not know how Annon works. Something such as symbolism or history of a mark has no meaning. Also there is no flag-bearer. There is no one who decide how they present themselves. No leader.

The mask was born as a meme. To protect there anonymity in a parade or something a mask was necessary. One person posted the idea. Others agreed and the idea grew. The majority decides the actions of anonymous since the more people that want something the more people will pitch in to help.

Annon are good people. I for one would not count on my neighbours to help me with my ideals.

 

[Olikunmissile]

Ehh, they'll get bored soon enough and crawl back to their troll caves to hibernate until the next hot button controversy crops up where it looks like something big is attacking something small so they can play superhero.

How very narrow minded.

You are anon, everyone is anonymous. That is the magic of the internet. Do you not care that your government has been hiding their failures from you? Propaganda.

Earlier today I caught an American show going on about treating Wikileaks as a terrorist organisation. Why?

The murderers and actual terrorists aren't the terrorists anymore, the person that publishes documents about them are the terrorists. What?

This is fear you are witnessing from your leadership. And if they're to react to someone showing some documents OF FAILURES to the world then YOU need to start asking questions as to why the secrecy.

 

[unicron44]

Here's my problem with Anonymous right now. They're all about, in this case, freedom of speech, demanding that the governments of the world reveal their secrets, etc etc etc- but if anyone dares disagree with them, they bring down the hammer of wrath and retribution as hard if not harder than any government ever could.

People have secrets. Governments have secrets. This is the way of the world and the way things work.

The difference?

Personal secrets can damage a life. Personal secrets can hurt people.

Governmental secrets can get a lot, and I mean a LOT, of people killed. There's a reason news reporters edit out the names of people involved. There's a reason they don't name their sources.

In this case, Anonymous (and the people at Wikileaks, from what I've seen of the site) just don't seem to care about the people whose lives they're destroying in much the same fashion that the people they're attacking are. It all leads in one giant loop and, in the end, it accomplishes nothing.

Hypocrisy, on both sides, to the highest degrees. There are no 'heroes' here. There are only people on both sides that think they're the allmighty God, infallible, and untouchable.

And, as a note to this. I'm a southerner, born and bred. I'm wholly and completely opposed to big government and a fiercely independant person. I believe it is our right, all of us, to question government, to press and demand things, and to get the truth of most matters. Sometimes, though, it's better just not to know.

Not sure if this is related, but I was told today at school by a kid that Anon shut down Paypal and Visa, which our teacher said it was cyber terrorism, which is detremental to people not even involved. I completely agreed, which is why I never cared for Anon as I felt they take things too far sometimes.

 

[icame]

Your right to freedom ends where everyone, including copyright holders, rights under the law begin. Go fuck yourself anonymous.

 

[BlumiereBleck]

All these anonymous messages at once...i'm starting to think it's not an organized group but different individual groups

 

[Segadroid]

It's the one that assumes his ideas will be accepted by everyone.

It's the one that denies anything it can't grasp.

It's the one that wants to be hidden so that others can't do anything to him.

It's Anonymous, the one that is no-one.

 

[Dasmaster]

Here's my problem with Anonymous right now. They're all about, in this case, freedom of speech, demanding that the governments of the world reveal their secrets, etc etc etc- but if anyone dares disagree with them, they bring down the hammer of wrath and retribution as hard if not harder than any government ever could.

People have secrets. Governments have secrets. This is the way of the world and the way things work.

The difference?

Personal secrets can damage a life. Personal secrets can hurt people.

Governmental secrets can get a lot, and I mean a LOT, of people killed. There's a reason news reporters edit out the names of people involved. There's a reason they don't name their sources.

In this case, Anonymous (and the people at Wikileaks, from what I've seen of the site) just don't seem to care about the people whose lives they're destroying in much the same fashion that the people they're attacking are. It all leads in one giant loop and, in the end, it accomplishes nothing.

Hypocrisy, on both sides, to the highest degrees. There are no 'heroes' here. There are only people on both sides that think they're the allmighty God, infallible, and untouchable.

And, as a note to this. I'm a southerner, born and bred. I'm wholly and completely opposed to big government and a fiercely independant person. I believe it is our right, all of us, to question government, to press and demand things, and to get the truth of most matters. Sometimes, though, it's better just not to know.

Not sure if this is related, but I was told today at school by a kid that Anon shut down Paypal and Visa, which our teacher said it was cyber terrorism, which is detremental to people not even involved. I completely agreed, which is why I never cared for Anon as I felt they take things too far sometimes.

It was not unprovoked. Both paypal, visa and mastercard broke there contracts with Wikileaks and both the company handling the donations and anonymous reacted both in there own ways. The company sued them and anonymous overloaded there servers.

Also there are just as many hacker attacks from the other side too.