Anonymous (group)

Anonymous is an international group of hackers that originally began in 2003, with founding members coming largely from the popular imageboard 4chan. The group is a loosely organized collection of individuals who participate in anonymous actions online, getting involved in various civil disobedience campaigns. A specific culture is associated with the group, which has caused some prominent members to reveal their identity and thus lose their membership. The group largely attacks other groups in an attempt to support freedom of speech and expression on the internet.

Background

Origins

Anonymous formed in 2003 in response to a YouTube video titled Dusty the Cat in which a cat was abused by an "anonymous" boy only known as Timmy (see 4chan). The group successfully determined Timmy's true identity and caused him to be arrested for his cruel actions. The group met on a specific IRC channel and kept other members informed through various websites. The group was largely quiet until 2006 and 2007, when they invaded the website Habbo, a social networking service centered around the idea of a hotel, with multiple versions of the same avatar (dressed in grey with an afro) used to block other users from entering the pool area. They blocked the users on the grounds that the pool was "closed for aids"

Notable Contributions

In 2008, Anonymous launched Project Chanology, a systematic attack against the Church of Scientology in response to their requesting that a YouTube video in which Tom Cruise discussed the church be taken down from the site. The types of attacks initially included denial-of-service (DoS) attacks against Scientology websites, prank calls, and black faxes to various centers.

Ethical Concerns

A wide range of ethical concerns surround the group Anonymous. These ethical issues can be broken down into a variety of categories to further analyze the ethical implications of such a powerful and close guarded group. Anonymous has engaged in a variety of activities online such as DoS attacks and various other forms of mischief online as was previously discussed. However there are not only legal issues surrounding their activities but many ethical issues at hand as well.

Treatment

Individuals generally have different opinions of this online group, ranging from approval to hatred. By analyzing how Anonymous's actions and their impact on others, many ethical issues in regards to treatment arise. Anonymous generally engages in these practical jokes and/or attacks to promote a certain viewpoint or to send a message. However their impacts, whether beneficial or damaging, tend to effect a wide range of people. Whether people approve or disapprove of this group, their actions effect thousands of people. For example, the reference to Timmy Glenn above demonstrates Anonymous's treatment of an individual both on and offline. Some may see Glenn's punishment as suitable and fair whereas other may condemn the extent of how escalated the situation got to. Regardless of one's viewpoint, the main concern is who is Anonymous to determine a suitable punishment for an individuals actions (or lack there of)? How far is too far? The same questions can be asked about DoS attacks as well. Ethically speaking, their conduct and treatment towards individuals and companies is on a slippery slope because many actions in an online world can be extended into the real world as well.