Hacking isnÂ’t by any means a new thing, as some of its roots can be traced back to WWII when the Allied forces decrypted the Nazi Enigma machine. It was said that the German war-time system of messaging couldnÂ’t be cracked, but through hard work, the Allied forces managed to do just that.
Hacking of computers is done for various reasons, but each hacker has a different motivation. Some are done for personal gain, monetary reward or malicious intent, but the hacker group Anonymous claims freedom of information.
The group, who apparently has no leader, came into prominence by openly supporting the release of classified documents through Wikileaks. But it wasnÂ’t until the hacking of SonyÂ’s PlayStation Network that the public took notice of them.
And although they have been blamed for nearly every hacking attempt in the last two years, the question is- are th
ey as dangerous as the general media claims? Who exactly is Anonymous, and for lack of a better phrase, what do they want?
To define the group is a bit difficult as itÂ’s not easy to pigeon-hole a collective who claim that they donÂ’t have a leader and only consist of a loose group of members from all over the world. How this group functions as one without a leader might just be the biggest social experiment in democracy, discipline and free will.
The name Anonymous has also become a synonym for other hacking collectives like LulzSec, AntiSec and AnonOps, who all might or might not have the same ideals and demands as Anonymous, although they all branched off from the main body at some time.
Whether or not they are as dangerous as the media claims, it all depends on who you ask. The main thought behind the group is to fight for internet freedom and freedom of speech. As history has told us, it becomes a bit of a blurry line at the best of times.
by: Anonback Back
