Best of the Web:

Anonymous Shuts Down Corporate and Government Websites Worldwide ... The Timing Couldn't Be Worse

Washington's Blog
Fri, 20 Jan 2012 00:43 UTC

Anonymous Shuts Down MPAA, RIAA, FBI, DOJ and Copyright Office

Anonymous launched one of the largest hacking attacks in history today.

Gizmodo reports that - in response to the Feds' shutting down of the extremely popular file-sharing site MegaUpload - Anonymous has shut down the sites of the main corporate copyright enforcers, including:

Motion Picture Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
Universal Music
EMI

Anonymous has also shut down the main U.S. governmental copyright enforcers, including:

U.S. Copyright Office
Department of Justice
FBI

Plus foreign agencies, including:

French copyright authority HADOPI

Given yesterday's success in forcing so many congress members to back off of SOPA and PIPA, the timing could not be worse.

As free speech champion Michael Rivero argued after Anonymous took down DOJ's website today:

In aligning with the pirates and attacking the DOJ, anonymous has handed the US government more justification for draconian controls on the internet.

I would not be quite so upset if this had occurred after Congress passed a draconian web censorship bill such as SOPA. But the fact that this is happening only 24 hours after the web's successful protest concerns me greatly.

Disclaimer: I have never used MegaUpload.com, and so may be underestimating its importance. I also don't know what percentage of their usage is legitimate free speech, as opposed to piracy.

Comment: Comment by Michael Rivero of WhatReallyHappened:

I have had my doubts about "Anonymous" ever since they showed up supporting Julian Assange and his extortion racket pretending to be a whistle blower site. In aligning with the pirates and attacking the DOJ, anonymous has handed the US government more justification for draconian controls on the internet.

I see your true colors shining through.

Reader Comments

inverse · 2012-01-20T01:23:24Z

Reader

Anonymous is just a cover for a government group that takes action to support arguments to make restrictive laws. Anyone who thinks that a group of geeks in bedrooms can take down some of sites mentioned without detection is delusional. As a cover the agency will just out some stupid geek who does try to hack a site. More sheeple tactics working to a T.

System · 2012-01-20T01:36:49Z

Can you please backup you claims that this is government controlled action ?
Also imo anyone who thinks that anonymous is a static group is delusional. It has been stated bazillion times that 'anonymous' is a movement any one can be a part of this movement (gov as well - I am not denying that).

danrenak · 2012-01-20T03:15:11Z

Umm....

I hate titles like that. But I'm not sure drygol gets the joke. If you think about it, what happened before just about every piece of draconian "anti-terrorist" laws were passed? Oh? Maybe that building in Oklahoma blowing up conveniently before a vote on some very unpopular legislation? Which passed without problems while the media was distracting us about the supposed details.

Oh? And then the 9/11 thing. After which even worse laws were passed. And worse and worse and worse. They figured after that they didn't have to worry. And maybe they don't. For all the people protesting, I don't see much happening, except a government passing more and more authoritarian laws and basically thumbing their noses at those who protest.

If they (the gubmint) really wanted anonymous gone, it would be gone. Today's display only confirms the the gubmint will keep them around for as long as they serve their purpose. I'm pretty sure they just revealed their purpose. Fools, dupes, or paid hackers, anonymous is not to be trusted. Heretofore they have appeared to display a little sensitivity to the legislative process. But now? They've shown their hand. That can't be taken back. It doesn't matter who they are. It doesn't matter what they believe. At very least their organization is riddled with moles who, apparently, are now capable of directing that organization.

luci · 2012-01-20T04:11:38Z

Bit odd

It seems oddly specificly timed and orchestrated: personally, I think this an orchestrated move precicely for the reasons in the article : worst possible timing... a little too well 'wost timed'. This stinks of black opps, or cointelpro or whatever it is called. While I have always belived Anon. is quite dangerous, but now I seriously think the'yre having the strings pulled here.

NugaBurd · 2012-01-20T07:29:54Z

Be careful out there

From Sophos:

Click on an Anonymous link, and you could be DDoS'ing the US government

[Link]
Not fun.

System · 2012-01-20T07:44:55Z

Re:

But I'm not sure drygol gets the joke.

I get the joke , but I just wanted to underline that everyone can be part of Anonymous - including gov.
At the same time Anonymous could be often a good excuse to pass "bad" laws.

System · 2012-01-20T07:54:02Z

Protocols of Sion

Despite whatever may be said concerning certain conspiracy theory concepts, Bill Cooper's book which contains a sizable segment of "The Protocols Of Sion" is interesting reading. In it you will find methods utilized to bring about certain results that pretty much coincide with much of what's happening these days. No matter who anonymous is the results of their activity is what really matters.

turin · 2012-01-20T10:24:31Z

not sure who's side anon is on

I remember anon a few months ago threatening to wipe the NYSE of the internet, and I found that to be a bit odd considering that they would not be hurting the PTB's nor helping the 99% with such an action. all they would accomplish would be to give the control freak security state more ammo to further their agenda, it's not like trading would stop because it couldn't be viewed online. ever since I have questioned who anon really is, and who they work for.

granted their various attacks don't often get top billing in the MSM which one would expect to happen if they were a CIA or FBI COINTELPRO type operation, but still something about their whole set up, their presentation, the language they use, the imagery, it just leaves a me with a nagging doubt and some suspicion over what team they are playing on.

I don't think it would be that much of a stretch to consider the idea that the feds would run something like anon in order to help create a need for the expansion of cyber security and internet control, and it's interesting that these most recent attacks come at a time when support for SOPA and PIPA is crumbling in congress and it appears that both are about to be shelved, at least for now. timing is everything, and the timing of these attacks and their targets is a bit suspicious or should at least raise an eyebrow, at least in my humble opinion.

Xerxes · 2012-01-20T12:23:39Z

Anonymous and External Forces

I think it is irrelevant whether or not there is any actual evidence as to the government's involvement in Anonymous. The bottom line is they could be or are already involved. If we look at any group's validity in terms of whether or not they are or could be co-opted by an outside force, the validity of Anonymous is clearly and completely in question. Anonymous is and will always be co-opted to whatever degree the government wishes, simply because they are anonymous (with a lower case "a"). Of course there could be splintering and a left-hand, right-hand, 3rd-hand, etc. not working in unison, but as an overall force, Anonymous, or whoever claims to be part of Anonymous, is simply a name promoted however it is promoted. It can be promoted by itself, or any part of itself, via blogs, twitter etc., and it can be promoted or defined by the media in general. Either way, both its' projected image and its' reported image along with its' collective actions are or could be controlled by a powerful external source to a large, approaching near total, degree.

There is also a cognitive dissonance factor. When the group Anonymous is promoted as a free-thinking, web-activist, freedom-fighting, albeit rogue, group of "hackers" it elicits one response. When it attacks government property it elicits another response. It don't think most people care that EMI's or the MPAA's websites are under attack, but the Department of Justice is another matter, particularly when viewed from the eyes of a typical citizen. So, yes, I find the timing of this incident very suspect, and I see it having a galvanizing effect on those that would potentially support SOPA/PIPA type legislation. That doesn't sound like thoughtful, cohesive action of web "freedom-fighters".

Xerxes · 2012-01-20T12:32:55Z

One thing to look at also is the effect the cognitive dissonance has. In this case, with the attack on the Department of Justice, the impact is negative. In other words, it will assist in creating a generally negative view of the group Anonymous.

hjackson · 2012-01-20T15:08:42Z

Anonymous - because not knowing who you're working with is a good idea.

Arkadin · 2012-01-20T21:41:02Z

"Anonymous - because not knowing who you're working with is a good idea."

yeah, just ask ANDREW M. LOBACZEWSKI

guachingman · 2012-01-20T22:15:40Z

argument

It is a bit frustrating that people still uses the argument that goes:

"doing A B C will only give Them more reasons to do XYZ"

I wonder why we don't realize the faulty logic on that:

First, they are Already doing XYZ.

Second they don't need a reason nor an excuse to do XYZ although they use anything they can, including false flags, they will do it anyway.

Third, by such logic any form of resistance or self defense is wrong because it will trigger further action (reaction) from the PTB...

Anything can and will be co opted, sott should know better, even doing everything in a legit way, they will twist the laws, make up new ones or ignore them to go after dissent, everything will be criminalized eventually, it is their rules, who ever said the fight should be on their terms?? on what they consider legal or legit, if even those rules apply to the other side only??

Well I say so be it, let them show their true colors as quick as possible, all fronts are valid, let us not forget all of these actions are to be framed in a position of self defense.

Don't resist a rapist because it will anger the rapist some more??? No! resist with all your might, fight the bully back with any means necessary!

Highland Fleet Lute · 2012-01-21T03:42:16Z

Computers/the internet/mobile-phones/digital communications in general are, by and large, means by which to colonise, atrophy, divert and sap the creative energy out of every day life, so it's all "fighting fire with fire" anyway.

If the internet and mobile communications networks were shut down tomorrow it would probably have a similar effect on the world psyche that the doctors strike did in Israel, on the health of the populace.

The smallest reminiscence at the ten year watermark of 9/11 revealed the internet as being, at the very least, probably the slowest tool-of-communication-as-agent-of-social-change in the history of mankind. In what is now considered "the old times", twenty idiots in a crumbling discotheque could have achieved more in three months.

abruselov · 2012-01-21T08:16:45Z

agree with Inverse

Anonymous is a governmental fiction.

Luke · 2012-01-21T08:41:16Z

Same here I agree with Inverse.... People are being sucked in by the notion of romance, by the notion of belonging... In the real world, Our World, Planet Earth, there is no way in heaven a bunch of RANDOM geeks can outwit the government the size of USA with there defense budget and go around taking down and hacking sites of some of the most well funded organisations that have budgets bigger than the GDP of a lot of countries...

These government organisations can suck in brains from literally anywhere and resources from anywhere to aid with whatever attack is heading there way...

mark · 2012-01-21T09:03:39Z

There's another way to look at what happened:

----------------------------------------
- Big media is using government as its personal police force
- That police force includes FBI, DoJ, Copyright Office

Sort of like Monsanto p0wning the USDA.

As a result, some people who like to call themselves Anonymous decided to DDoS sites to send a message that it won't be tolerated
----------------------------------------

I think Rivero should have just kept his mouth shut on this one.

Highland Fleet Lute · 2012-01-21T10:29:58Z

"I think Rivero should have just kept his mouth shut on this one."

I think anyone trusting of Anonymous in the first place must have had their natural antennae supplanted by a dumb-arsed wi-fi receptor, which of course could also be said to apply to each and every member of Anonymous. Talk about being your own worst enemy.

"I see your true colors shining through"

Don't you bloody quote Cyndi Lauper at me.

OCULUS · 2012-01-21T11:31:03Z

OCULUS

Paging Al da Goracle. [He'll know]

Jean Michel · 2012-01-21T13:10:10Z

I've been to the dark side and back...

Take it from one who joined with, however briefly, the Anonymous movement. The group is largely disorganized. Mainly because they shun direct leadership within their ranks.

I quote that I used when explaining why I didn't want to be a part of Anon anymore was this, "A snake with no head goes nowhere."

I find it extremely hard to believe that a group that is as disjointed and unaware of other member's activities as Anon could, as a group, pull off this type of highly-technological terrorism.

I joined up with Anon around the time that the G20 summit was convening and while they could talk a big game, nothing ever actually materialized from said talk.

In my opinion, it would be very easy for a governmental group to be perpetrating these attacks and copycatting the Anon method of public relations. There's just no way to be sure.

And to me, that is where the danger of Anon truly lies. The fact that Anonymous does not have a public face allows them the exact type of anonymity required for clandestine governmental psy-ops and cointelpro actions. Almost as if the whole Anon movement was created to do just that.

My name is Mike, I am not anonymous. I have a horrible memory for negativity and I will forgive all until the day I die. Hate begets hate, plain and simple.

Highland Fleet Lute · 2012-01-22T04:22:12Z

Stirred

"The fact that Anonymous does not have a public face allows them the exact type of anonymity required for clandestine governmental psy-ops and cointelpro actions. Almost as if the whole Anon movement was created to do just that."

Well, maybe. Either way, you can bet there are a few members of "The Aston Martin Owners Club" in there.

Luke ·

what is this code for?

· 2012-01-22T06:10:28Z

All the men in the middle east are fighting with each other. It was written with charcoal, in Sanskrit, on a cave wall... fast forward, 3000...

3.1415926535

the rapid implementation of a new vaccine technology was necessary And we end another week of World News with another comment from the Globalist...

3.1415926535

A lot of "he said, she said" going on here.

ReRan

There exists a silver lining in the story that cant be overlooked. For every vile dumped into the toilet, 5 people have avoided blood clotting...

3.1415926535

Iran has just fired back.

LindaMay

Best of the Web:

Anonymous Shuts Down Corporate and Government Websites Worldwide ... The Timing Couldn't Be Worse

Reader Comments

Latest News

Picture of the Day

Quote of the Day

Recent Comments

Quantum Quirk