A new global phenomenon is proliferating across the world, known as “Anonymous” or “Anon” for short. Anonymous is a group of anonymous individuals without a leader or any actual organizational structure who work to take down what they believe to be corrupt institutions by hacking into, defacing and protesting their targets means of communication. The media has labeled them, “hacktivist” (a portmanteau of hacker and activist). Their lack of structure, anonymity to the public and anonymity within the group itself and their ability to still coordinate their attacks make them difficult to combat.
They were originally derived from a group of young individual looking to play pranks with the ability to hide in the shadows of anonymity (to learn more about their history click here). After several public and online stunts though, it seems other began to look at anonymity not so much as a way of hiding but as forum to surpass censorship and expose corruption, while avoiding prosecution. With the radical idea of Anonymity as a tool for influence, they took to the Middle East during the Arab Spring to shut down several government websites in Tunisia and Egypt. They also claim responsibility for restoring the Internet back to the Egyptian people during their revolution.
Anonymous’ recent actions have been able to make national and less often, international headlines. Recently they have defaced the Prime Minister of Poland’s website page after signing onto the Anti-Counterfeit Trade Agreement (ACTA). They have threatened to release archives of stolen emails concerning a controversial U.S. raid in Iraq in response to a call they intercepted from the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to take down Anonymous hackers. In Greece they have protested on the justice ministries website proclaiming to the Government, “You have joined the IMF against your people’s acquiescence, you have so introduced a new dictatorship upon your people’s shoulder’s and allowed the bankers and the monarchs of the EU to enslave them both economically and politically.” Less recently, they have even attacked Brazil’s largest bank sites to call attention to the countries corruption and inequality. Thus with everyone having the ability to be anonymous, speaking every language and knowing everyone, it seems only inevitable that they show up in Mexico.
Anonymous operations in Mexico have been aimed against the government and the cartels. Anonymous began operations in Mexico on the 15th of September, the independence day of Mexico. One of the biggest hits came to the website of the Defense Ministry. Their video message was clear, “We demonstrate to the government and drug trafficking groups that we will not allow more violence and insecurity and let them know Mexican Anonymous.” Their message drew a parallel calling it the independence of the Federal Government and not of the people because while officials are celebrating, they continue to drown out the voices of the people who continuously helplessly live enscribed in the terror of organized crime. The following awareness campaign for Mexico consisted of “paper storm,” an international campaign that encourages member to take to the streets of their cities with paper flyers. It was then found out that during a paper storm, one of the members of Anonymous was kidnapped by the Los Zetas cartel while posting flyer’s around Veracruz. In response Anonymous posted a video to Los Zetas, threatening to release the information of all the taxi driver’s, journalist, newspapers, and police officers who have and continue to collaborate with them. After several published concerns from Mexican and US intelligence officials that Anonymous’ act would not so much lead to the arrest of the collaborators as intended, but make them targets of the Los Zetas competing cartel’s. They soon decided to revoke their plan of action.
“Anonymous” refuses to lay dormant on all issues it sees threatening though. Their knew fight, which governments everywhere seem to be pursuing is establishing stricter intellectual property (IP) rights. IP rights seem to be making headline everywhere because whistleblower’s like Wikileaks and Anonymous (who often work in ‘sync) have brought it to the public’s attention. The common theme when establishing stricter rules of law on IP rights has been the amount of power if gives the authorities to censor, incriminate, and fine individuals. Recently Senator Frederico Doring proposed a law that could fine individuals over 100,000 dollars (one million pesos) for online copyright infringement. Anonymous responded by blocking access to the Mexican Senate and Interior Ministry websites. Critics say the proposed law is similar to a bill introduced in the United States known as SOPA that faced a mutiny of opposition after it was publicly advertised, eventually leading to its failure. Anonymous has not necessarily been able to create any direct action but they have been able to change the national conversation. Though their plan of action against Los Zetas cartel was abandoned, the cartel obviously found them a big enough threat to kidnap one of their members as a means of intimidation to Anonymous members. As for the government the only thing they can do is try to enforce stronger internet policies, but with the public opposition and whistleblower’s like Wikileaks and Anonymous looking to inform the public it seems unlikely, unless a law passes in the utmost secrecy. This too seems highly unlikely though as gettingt ride of hacktivism and anonymity are like trying to get ride of your shadow, for Anonymous always claims “We are anonymous, we are legion, we don’t forgive, we don’t forget, united as one, divided as zero, expect us.”
#1 by mary ann jones on February 10, 2012 - 5:04 pm
Kristin, your best yet. Very informative on a current and difficult subject, nice going!