There has been a lot of talk about the recent hacking activity that has plagued many large corporations, governments, and individuals. The group claiming responsibility for these undertakings is a group called Anonymous. The group is not a typical hierarchical organization, but a group of ‘equals’ that is attempting to end corruption around the globe through transparency. Recently, they have exposed corporations such as Startfor, and have set up platforms for the Iranian people to criticize their government safely. I give these two examples to display the depth of their activity, but this comes nowhere near the entirety of their feats. They have worked with groups such as WikiLeaks, and have been involved with grass roots movements such as Occupy Wall Street.
Many people are quick to condemn Anonymous, but we should give the group another look. In the past, some governments and big money have been able to move in silence without fear of retribution for their bad deeds. Information was kept on paper work, and as long as that paper remained in a vault or burnt, the data remained completely hidden from the public. The media has reported on many incidents, but the reporting has been slanted in order to satisfy their political views and supporters. Many incidents have been kept behind a veil, and brushed aside as “conspiracy theories” or mere rumors.
Today, we have computers and the internet. Computers have made things a lot easier. People can now write, edit, save and reproduce vast amounts of information. That information can now be sent anywhere almost intently because of the internet. However, there is a drawback. Information that is stored on a computer and connected to the internet is accessible. The information might be protected, but like any defense there is a weakness.
Anonymous happens to be a group that is extremely good at finding these weaknesses and exposing the information that is being protected. Now, this is where people begin finding problems with Anonymous. The groups that anonymous targets are usually organizations that are trying to keep ‘sensitive’ information hidden. Therefore, the illegal means that Anonymous uses in order to acquire their ends usually stirs up a lot of attention and causes a lot of people to hate them. However, it also causes a lot of people to love Anonymous, because they are exposing knowledge and revealing the truth about they invest and trust in.
Some people hate them, and some people love Anonymous; just as, some people hate transparency, and some people love it. We are now able to see behind veils that were once almost impenetrable, and the inner workings of government and corporate organizations are being exposed like the inner working of a grandfather clock.
0 Comments.