Anonymous Vs. Anonymous : Anonymous

In the essay Where Anonymity Breeds Contempt, by Julie Zhou, her thesis is “But the law by itself cannot do enough to disarm the internet’s trolls. Content providers, social network platforms and community sites must also do their part by rethinking the systems they have in place, for user commentary so as to discourage- or disallow- anonymity.” Zhou’s thesis is located in the first two sentences of paragraph nine, on page 89. 2. The issue Zhou addresses in this essay is trolling on the internet.

Anonymous posting provides an opportunity for social media users to reveal “honest expression, unencumbered by identity” (Poole). The ability to remain anonymous directly affects users’ online behavior to inevitably portray an extension of their offline persona, yet it also enables the choice to make claims on an identity that differs from reality. When individuals hide behind the mask of electronic anonymity, they can take the role of a cyberbully with the intention to aggravate and distress victims, which demonstrates their moral disengagement toward the feelings of other individuals. Despite the fact that anonymity fosters a “unique sense of community . . . that embraces and encourages freedom of thought [, social media sites such as 4chan have] completely raw and unfiltered discourse” (Poole). The social media site, 4chan, is an online messaging board where anonymous users do not have to submit personal information to be involved in it (Russon). Because it does not replicate real-world social norms by emphasizing the human qualities of conversation such as people’s faces, real names, as well as brief biographies, there is not a baseline of responsibility and thus users are willing to post without inhibition to castigation. The

In this day and age living in the era of the computer, it has become more mainstream and common to hear of cyber attacks, and crime being committed on the internet. Activism however, has become a prominent way to protest or argue a political view. Using related technologies and the internet have become a vital way for some to share their views. With the rise of the internet, “hacktivism” has become a prominent way for protest groups to express while also promoting a political agenda often related to free speech, human rights, and freedom of information.

“Dragnet Nation” author Julia Angwin and Bruce Wayne are surprisingly similar. Both have struggles with keeping private life private, dealing with baddies, and being a bit paranoid. However, unlike Batman, “Dragnet Nation” isn’t groundbreaking. Yet despite stating obvious facts, and doing more to entice paranoia than inform, Angwin does have a solid underlying point: They key to online privacy is pseudonymity. Providing false information in order to protect oneself and others, is quite simple to apply, and can deter social engineering attacks. Be that as it may, pseudonymity can be used for less noble purposes.

In todays time just one hacker can infiltrate governments and companies and release mass amounts of private information and details. The secret hacking group, Anonymous is a group of unknown hackers that have recently been hunted down by governments around the world (mainly the US and British). They should not be looked at as “domestic terrorists” but as protesting citizens. Terrorists put fear into people, but Anonymous interests the public. They have even been called “Digital Robin Hoods” (Carter, 2012). Since Anonymous mostly goes after companies and organizations they believe are corrupt or bad, and since they don't do any physical harm to anyone they should not be persecuted and put in jail. They release private information about the websites of companies, religious groups, and governments to show the public who they really are and what they are really doing. They also use a tactic called DDos which is basically where Anonymous overruns a website so much nobody else can then on go on that website.The U.S. government goes after anonymous hacktivists and similar groups but turns a blind eye to pro US/anti Terrorist hackers. A con of what Anonymous does is that when they release private government documents via Wikileaks or different sources, other governments like China and Russia can access the information released which can possibly be threatening to the U.S.

Anonymous, an infamous hacktivist group. Their slogan “We are Anonymous. We are Legion. We do not forgive. We do not forget. Expect us.” Now, one can come to think that they kind of sound like an underground rebel group. Which is what they are, but they do it all via the internet. Once must also think, “well how do they do it all via internet and not get caught?” They tunnel all their nodes and logs through private networks and encrypted chats. You may ask, what do they fight for? Well it’s obvious, they all fight for one thing: Freedom and a proper Government. You can come to this conclusion just by taking a peek at their tweets, videos, speeches, and etc. It’s obvious that Anonymous’s intended audience is anyone they can reach out to, not only does this hacktivist group focus on American problems, but they also take third world countries problems into consideration. So, with all this information, you’re probably thinking, “well how do they solve America’s problems?” Anonymous isn’t only a group that just tweets hashtags, and what not. Anonymous is loosely organized group of hackers that attempt to use their skills to make a change. But, not all Anonymous members are hackers, some join just to promote what the cause. For example: @YouAnonNews on twitter, tweets operations that are going on, and daily news that has grabbed the attention of Anonymous.

“We don't have to engage in grand, heroic actions to participate in the process of change. Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can change the world”

The international hacktivist organization set out on a mission to shut down the Twitter profiles of individuals suspected to be ISIS supporters. Anonymous claims it has already caused 25,000 of the 39,000 suspected ISIS profiles to be

Anonymous showed that they had switched from terrorizing the people to actually supporting the people and backing them

The loose-knit hacking movement “Anonymous” claimed Sunday to have stolen thousands of credit card numbers and other personal information belonging to clients of U.S.-based security think tank Stratfor. One hacker said the goal was to pilfer funds from individuals’ accounts to give away as Christmas donations, and some victims confirmed unauthorized transactions linked to their credit cards.

"We must stop thinking of the individual and start thinking about what is best for society."

Interconnected computer information systems have become essential aspects of today’s society. All forms of communication, from education, personal brand identity, to commerce and finance, use these systems creating a permanent personal presence for all of us within this digital world. Individuals, who reveal or threaten to reveal these personal identities for various reasons, are sometimes referred to as hackers who can also form hacker activist groups; also known as hacktivists. One of the most recent and visible of these groups calls itself Anonymous. Anonymous has evolved into a worldwide meticulously calculated social and political movement concerned with the freedom and access of information. It uses a variety of means to promote free information, sometimes legal protest, sometimes illegal hacking. There are any numbers of splinter groups that claim affiliation with Anonymous but its decentralized structure makes it difficult to know who is working with or for the goals of the collective. Anonymous has transformed from a physical entity to that of an idea and persona that can be claimed by anyone at any time and that idea is what will ensure its continued presence for years to come.

Anonymous started as a group in the imageboard 4chan, representing the concept of many online and offline community users simultaneously existing

But who are they? Don’t get confused and mistake them for a group, organization, or even a movement. They are simple people like you and me who have one common thought. They all take a different path but for a short period of time share a common destination. They don’t have a web page, or a “HQ”, they use existing media (facebook, youtube, twitter, etc.) to post to the world. Now there are those

The dark Web is a mysterious domain, known by a surprisingly few number of internet users, but it harbors massive amounts of information, estimates include over 75,000 terabytes of data, in fact, including numerous social networking sites, forums, markets, and other internet applications. (Bergman N.P.) It also provides a very powerful feature that may be harnessed for good or for evil: anonymity. By using services to access the hidden web, such as the Tor web browser, an internet user can completely hide his or her identity while participating in a number of online activities. Anonymity may be beneficial by providing a cushion for individuals to untraceably unite over taboo issues or even by establishing contact between