Talk:Anonymous (hacker group)

Origin of Anonymous

The article currently has Anonymous "originating in 2003 on the imageboard 4chan," which is inaccurate. 4chan itself started in 2003; Anonymous (as the name is used in this article) started later with the Scientology raids. 4chan was hardly the origin of internet anonymity, and long before the term referred to an activist group, "anonymous" on 4chan just differentiated anonymous posts (presented as an amorphous body) from those using a tripcode for unique identification. And despite what Y5Phl2x below seems to think, posting on 4chan sans tripcode does not mean automatic inclusion in Anonymous_(group). 4chan was not the first site to allow anon posts.

tl;dr Anonymous as a group started years after 2003 74.73.105.201 (talk) 05:55, 20 October 2011 (UTC)

well yes, While 4chan did always allow for "anonymous" posts it didn't automatically create the group mentality of "anonymous," but the group itself started before the scientology raids as the habbo raids were active with the collective mentality. do you have a WP:RS Coffeepusher (talk) 10:59, 20 October 2011 (UTC)

Clarification of Anonymous

This definition of Anonymous is heavily waited to a fear mongering point of view. There are numerous uses of anonymity beyond the internet or civil disobedience. Henry Ford provides one reason beyond civil disobedience, "The fear of loosing what you have blocks all avenues of innovation and advancement." Similarly, Upton Sinclair said, "It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it." BenDoGood (talk) 14:21, 16 September 2011 (UTC) "Scott Nesler" - The Do Good Gauge

I may be not be the first to notice, but to me it seems like this article is saying, that anyone, calling themselves Anonymous, is part of one big group. Now i seriously doubt, that this is the intention of the article and all the writers, and im fairly sure that the writers know that this isn't one big group, but for the less informed that use this site as their main source of information, the article could very well lead to misunderstandings. And with all the negative reputation that the word "Anonymous" has gotten over the past months (playstation network being a good example) i think it would be good to clarify, that Anonymous is not one big group - and only rarely sytematic long-lasting groups at all - but that it rather seems to be spontanious assemblys created for a once time purpose and with very short livespans. So to sum it up, my request is that it be clarified that Anonymous is not one big group, but that it is instead lots of smaller assemblys, and that the actions of those calling themselves Anonymous is only rarely connected with each other, and that is is rarely the same persons participating. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Rumal0 (talk • contribs) 19:34, 10 June 2011 (UTC)

Anonymous is not a groupGlajaklsgjkd (talk) 22:48, 14 June 2011 (UTC)

I agree with Ruma. Anonymous is not a group in any way shape or form. It has no structure. It has no organisation. It is simply a group of people. I am anonymous right now (save for my IP). Anyone can be anonymous. This article credits Anonymous with many hacking/DDoSing activities, which is wrong. It should credit Anonymous PEOPLE, not the 'group' anonymous, because of course we all (should) know that anonymous is not a defined group. ANONYMOUS IS NOT A GROUP OF PEOPLE, IT IS A CONCEPT THAT IS USED BY PEOPLE. 109.158.131.50 (talk) 22:21, 21 June 2011 (UTC)

To credit the individuals seems like a rather pedantic endeavour. Firstly, one of the concepts of the Anonymous collective is that you are not an individual, but a part of the hive. Secondly, the acts were carried out under the guise of the Anonymous collective, so attributing it to the group is more than reasonable. Anonymous technically has no individuals or members, as it is merely a set of loosely defined ideals that people can stand with for certain issues AnonNietzsche (talk) 21:00, 29 June 2011 (UTC)

This really does need to be clarified. This article is very misleading about what anonymous is. It's not a group. There is no membership. Nstring (talk) 04:30, 20 July 2011 (UTC)

Is this going to be done soon? Especially because of the current goings-on with people like Lulzsec. Guyag (talk) 18:48, 2 August 2011 (UTC)

These should be mentioned

Operation Andes Free

• An attack On Peru and Chile. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 201.230.51.101 (talk) 01:37, 27 June 2011 (UTC)

• Anonymous demanding child porn from an 11-year old girl and sending death threats to her family when she asks them to stop.
• Anonymous defaces Facebook pages for dead children.

Most of the present coverage on this page covers their "activist" actions, while in reality the bulk of their actions are the harassment and bullying of children.Not even Mr. Lister's Koromon survived intact. 16:05, 29 December 2010 (UTC)

The latter doesn't mention Anonymous. Adambro (talk) 16:20, 29 December 2010 (UTC)

Cracked.Com is a comedy web site (after the well known pulp comic book.) I don't think a reference to a comedy web site web page is a very good reference, Gawker would be a better reference for that series of incidents, in my opinion. Damotclese (talk) 05:40, 3 January 2011 (UTC)

The dead children thing isn't Anonymous is it? It was reported in New Zealand as being the work of a US neo-nazi group. NZ forever (talk) 04:14, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

The problem with these actions being attributed to anonymous is that anyone can claim to be part of the group. So these may be separate circles. --Mutlee (talk) 19:34, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

This article is very biased towards Anonymous. Efforts need to be put forth to present the article from a netural point of view, instead of just trying to make Anonymous look like a bunch of heroes. --Little Jimmy (talk) 03:05, 14 January 2011 (UTC)

And if it helps, heres a better link to the case about the 11 year old girl. --Little Jimmy (talk) 23:14, 14 January 2011 (UTC)

The better link mentions random 4chan users, not Anonymous. SuperPurple (talk) 04:44, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

You use a cracked aricle as a source? Wow. This just makes me assume you read the article, rushed to Wikipedia, and started your bias propaganda. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.161.247.135 (talk) 02:55, 24 January 2011 (UTC)

That wasn't Anonymous that defaced the RIP pages it was 4chan trolls, get your facts straight newfriend —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.171.163.208 (talk) 21:35, 31 January 2011 (UTC)

It WAS Anonymous who defaced the pages. It was not the "hacktivist" group from WhyWeProtest/AnonOps, but those sites do not represent the views and opinions of Anonymous. If the posts originated from 4chan, they are inherently and automatically part of Anonymous (provided they didn't use tripcodes). I recommend a section about these articles (and others like it) to illustrate the fact that modern Anonymous is NOT about nonviolent protest, these are only the views of a large portion of Anonymous. If it appears otherwise, I believe this is only because the hacktivism activities are the ones that make national news. Anyone can be part of Anonymous and have any kind of opinion they want as long as they are anonymous. --Y5Phl2x (talk) 12:05, 28 April 2011 (UTC)

I don't share your opinion because Anonymous make reference not only to 4chan (is just the place of birth) but also to a Idea. Idea is anachism (social anarchism), like in the comic V for Vendetta. (sorry for my bad english). 83.113.232.4 (talk) 09:37, 8 September 2011 (UTC)

Group

Since when has Anonymous been a group? And how is it a group? It by no means fills the definition of social group.Glajaklsgjkd (talk) 16:37, 14 June 2011 (UTC)

THIS (call it an anti-group, movement, mindset or whatever) Zoef1234 (talk) 09:09, 15 June 2011 (UTC)

Infact, referring to it as Anonymous only would be much better as it is quite random bunch of people. Glajaklsgjkd (talk) 12:07, 15 June 2011 (UTC)

So, it is not a group, it is a bunch? DigitalC (talk) 03:44, 1 July 2011 (UTC)

It's not a group, nor a bunch, it's a name and a label. Anyone who wants can simply "claim" to be part of anonymous or not at any given time, for any reason. Because of this trying to attribute anything that anyone does in the name of "Anonymous" to "Anonymous" as though it were one entity is meaningless. It's like trying to say that "Author Unknown" is one single person, which ironically is one of the tongue-in-cheek jokes on which the "Anonymous" name and concept took off. In fact, with no membership structure it becomes impossible to have a criticism section on any of Anonymous's actions because trying to hold "Anonymous" as responsible for anything its self-proclaimed members do would be an exercise in stupidity. If President Obama were to sign a bill into law and claim that he did it as a member of "Anonymous", could "Anonymous" be held responsible for the bill being signed into law? No, because Anonymous is nothing more than a label. All we have here are a bunch of individuals who went out, did things, and all gave themselves the same name, or lack thereof as the case may be. As such, the article should reflect this, and rather than treating "Anonymous" as any kind of entity, simply identify it as a concept and label to which many people have attached themselves. As it is, the article appears to have unsourced implications that the people which committed one act in the name of "Anonymous" had something to do with the people who committed other acts. All we know is that they both used the same name, or lack thereof.Ziiv (talk) 01:39, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

Anonymous isn't a group. Anonymous is a brand. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 207.144.215.107 (talk) 08:12, 26 August 2011 (UTC)

Add "The Plan"

dear wikipedia, i as a former anonymous member noticed that no one has mentioned "the plan" look it up on www.whatis-theplan.org. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Hackslasher (talk • contribs) 20:40, 12 July 2011 (UTC)

I'm happy that the False Flag Operation: The Plan. Was not added to the main page of Anonymous (Group) The reasons being: Why Anonymous does NOT support Whatis-theplan:

- The site WITP asks for registration before content is viewable.

- The site WITP does not allow TOR, our anonymous project.

- The site WITP accepts direct paypal payments to their business account theplan@yahoo.com but Anonymous is at war with paypal, paypal deposited 1000+ IP's to the FBI.

- The site claims to have leaders and representatives. This is not anonymous.

- The site has censored many of our friends and members. This is unacceptable.

I am nothing but a simple advocate. Hackslasher, you may delete this if you want, but know that I know and many know, 'The Plan' is a CIA False Flag OP. --Color Metal Dye Ampoul (talk) 00:56, 21 August 2011 (UTC)

2011 Oslo explosion

Hi, I have read in some websites that Anonymous has claimed responsibility. Is this so? can anyone confirm? Thank you very much. --Camilo Sanchez (talk) 16:58, 22 July 2011 (UTC)

Media interest

5.1.3 Anonymous was featured on Australian Radio National on 30 July 2011 in a story called "Anonymous: Just for the lulz?" by Gabriella Lahti — Preceding unsigned comment added by 150.101.72.73 (talk) 00:59, 4 August 2011 (UTC)

civil disobedience

based on what the civil disobedience article says, anonymous doesn't engage in civil disobedience because they don't reveal their identities 173.51.187.83 (talk) 05:31, 15 August 2011 (UTC)

Wrong 8/15/2011

The "Anonymous (used as a mass noun) is a group initiating active civil disobedience and spread through the Internet while staying hidden" is incorrect first and foremost it is not civil disobedience they are trying to achieve. They are trying to make a better world for people making the government more transparent, make the government work for us not apposed to us. unify people of all races ethnicity, political views or financial positions. This website is the reason people dont know the truth about Anonymous they are fed lies by the disgrace of a web page such as this.

for the truth go to whatis-theplan.org and watch the video on the front page and you will get the truth — Preceding unsigned comment added by Map2142 (talk • contribs) 06:54, 15 August 2011 (UTC)

I did and my conclusion is anonymous is communism with a new name — Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.51.187.83 (talk) 07:22, 15 August 2011 (UTC)

Cool story, bro. Now get some sourcing and you can add all of that into the article. Wikipedia is what you make of it. --Cast (talk) 01:33, 21 August 2011 (UTC)

Operation GEMA

• Note: Anonymous also attacked the German GEMA twice in 2011: 1st time in June, 2nd time at the 22nd August. Reasons are the GEMA's argument with Youtube. I can't add this information by myself because of the semi-protection. --Slay555pt (talk) 01:45, 23 August 2011 (UTC)

Futaba Channel, the Japanese internet and Anonymous

In the first section there's a paragraph saying "[...] many websites are strongly associated with Anonymous. This includes notable imageboards such as 4chan, Futaba [...]".

I would like to clarify that Futaba Channel, being a site for uploading images usually used by Japanese otaku, has nothing to do with Anonymous as described in this article. Anonymous is pretty much a western exclusive phenomenon. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 201.246.137.24 (talk) 18:58, 28 August 2011 (UTC)

Shows what you know. We are not just a Western Movement. "We destroy corruption and bring liberty We are Anonymous We are legion We do not forgive We do not forget Expect us" — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.129.82.70 (talk) 15:22, 9 October 2011 (UTC)

Anonymous and Company

I understand that due to the nature of Anonymous, it is nearly impossible to separate it into splinter groups, but I think one would be able to categorize (Generally) some of the more widely accepted viewpoints of Anonymous members. This article comes off more like a timeline of their actions, with a very brief summary of what this group is. I'm willing to start working on the Iconography and Aesthetics sections (Which should probably be renamed to something a bit simpler), but I'd like to know how much is too much. Hyblackeagle22 (talk) 01:05, 3 September 2011 (UTC)

There is no such thing as "too much" as long as you can justify included material with proper citations. If the article gets too large, we can discuss splitting it at that point. You are correct in how this article needs to be redirected to focus on what Anonymous is about, but what title would you prefer? As the section is for the descriptions of how Anonymous frequently uses certain icons and a signature style, what would be more appropriate? --Cast (talk) 14:27, 3 September 2011 (UTC)

Honestly, I think we might be better off splitting up the Iconography section, that way we can have a section devoted to the culture of Anon, and another that I can't think of right now :P. Thanks for responding, I'll start working on the Culture section once I finalize all my sources. Hyblackeagle22 (talk) 19:13, 3 September 2011 (UTC)

#OCCUPYWALLSTREET

IS THIS NOT WORTHY OF MENTION? September 17th, Anonymous is planning to flood into Wall Street.

There's an article about it, Occupy Wall Street. SalfEnergy 10:48, 28 September 2011 (UTC)

Edit request from 3ntity, 19 September 2011

{{edit semi-protected}}

Would like to include this two part article that includes an interview with professed members of Anonymous under the section on media coverage. Thanks.

http://www.deliberatelyconsidered.com/2011/09/in-search-of-anonymous-down-and-out-in-the-digital-age/

http://www.deliberatelyconsidered.com/2011/09/in-search-of-anonymous-down-and-out-in-the-digital-age-part-ii/

3ntity (talk) 13:38, 19 September 2011 (UTC)

I do not consider 'Deliberatelyconsidered.com' to be a reliable source, so I will not action this request. If you disagree, please raise it on WP:RSN; if consensus there agrees that it is acceptable, please re-request. Thanks,  Chzz  ►  03:47, 28 September 2011 (UTC)

 Not done

22 Sept 2011 arrests

I see some articles today on arrests, of both Lulzsec and Anon. E.g. Fox News: "In another indictment, Christopher Doyon, 47, of Mountain View, Calif., and Joshua Covelli, 26, of Fairborn, Ohio, were charged with conspiracy to cause intentional damage to a protected computer, causing intentional damage to a protected computer and aiding and abetting .." If anyone can confirm that other sources also name those two persons as (allegedly) part of Anon, then the material may be suitable for this article. --Noleander (talk) 01:29, 23 September 2011 (UTC)

Threat against the NYPD

Anonymous threatened to attack the NYPD in response to the police aggression against the Occupy Wall Street protesters. Its tough to find sources on this issue due to the media blackout however i have this article and video. Surely this deserves a mention. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/27/anonymous-threatens-nypd-_n_983941.html --132.198.228.121 (talk) 17:06, 28 September 2011 (UTC)

aku ingin belajar — Preceding unsigned comment added by 110.138.69.209 (talk) 15:55, 29 September 2011 (UTC)

_________________ In austria there are regular protestaction made by anonymous, and i am pretty sure taht other countries hav etheir anonymous actios, shouldnt that be mentioned somehow anonaustria — Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.234.229.59 (talk) 08:57, 4 October 2011 (UTC)

Edit Request 10/10/11

From the initial section:

Anonymous (used as a mass noun) is a group initiating active civil disobedience and spread through the Internet while staying hidden, originating in 2003 on the imageboard 4chan, representing the concept of many online community users simultaneously existing as an anarchic, digitized global brain.

This is neigh unreadable. I propose it is simplified and split.

Anonymous (used as a mass noun) is a group initiating active civil disobedience and spread through the Internet, while attempting to maintain anonymity. Originating in 2003 on the imageboard 4chan, the term refers to the the concept of many online community users simultaneously existing as an anarchic, chaotic global brain.

175.35.216.12 (talk) 14:31, 9 October 2011 (UTC)

 Done — Bility (talk) 19:29, 10 October 2011 (UTC)

Edit request from , 10 October 2011

how do i join???? 66.87.0.68 (talk) 20:06, 10 October 2011 (UTC)

You can join by clicking this link. – Richard BB 21:48, 10 October 2011 (UTC)

Edit request from , 21 October 2011

Tumtumtumtums (talk) 17:40, 21 October 2011 (UTC)

What edit are you requesting? If you can provide more information, please restore your edit request by setting answered=no in the template call. – Luna Santin (talk) 00:17, 22 October 2011 (UTC)

Operation Darknet

new information about Anonymous:

ArsTechnica - Anonymous takes down darknet child porn site on Tor network