Anonymous attacks whitehouse.gov after taking down Department of Justice and others

Well now that Anonymous has attacked somebody in response to Megaupload being shutdwon it has just added fuel to the fire and now legislators can use it as ammunition.

If Anonymous had instead helped defenders of internet freedom make their argument and spread it peacefully then much more could have come from this and they'd have ammunition.

All this does is give the other side ammunition and spread more conflict.

We, as supporters of a free (law-abiding) internet, lost our leverage when they attacked.

A VCR can record video rentals and TV shows. By shutting down Megaupload, it's somewhat comparable to destroying every VCR in the country just because it can make copying videos easy. We as a country need to think more carefully about what this all means in broader terms.

What's going to happen when we can easily copy every day objects like cups and bowls and spoons? Will this mean we no longer buy them? Will our economy switch from goods to services? What happens when copying techniques become more advanced and we can copy things like TVs and computers and furniture? What happens when you can have the production capacity of an entire factory in one of your bedrooms? Does that make you a hacker, a homeowner, or a businessman? Computers can copy data easy, whether it's a program or a data file. Software makers produce a good that's called a program. It requires time and money to do this. But since computers can copy things and distribute things so easily, much of the value of this software is lost. So either the industry prevents computers from copying and distributing or dramatically increases the price of computers or (successfully) switches to open source or something similar, or we will come to a point where software makers will no longer be able to make money when they program and software might advance slower as payed software makers become a thing of the distant past. People don't work for nothing. If your business stops paying the truckers to distribute parts between your factories, then the truckers will strike and eventually quit. Same deal here. Software makers want an income for their work. But their work, once completed, is easily copied. It's a dilemma that the industry now faces and it's an opportunity to learn.

In many ways, it reminds me of an artist. He or she creates a sculpture after working painstakingly on it for two-years full-time. This sculpture can then easily be copied by machines. The bulk of the value in this good is its creator, the artist, not the machine. How do you pay the artist? One-time? How? Do you create a copyright department to watch for illegal copies?

reply to post by jonnywhite

If Anonymous had instead helped defenders of internet freedom make their argument and spread it peacefully then much more could have come from this and they'd have ammunition.

anon not just about taking sights down lots of anon tried spreading an argument using peaceful methods. Really Ddos a sight is not unpeaceful it causes no permanent damamge it is just a form of digital protest. Just like standing outside a bank with crowd of peeps..

Civil Protest is an intergral part of democracy. Would the US exist today if not for illegal protest and activism. Would women have the right to vote in the Uk....no

reply to post by purplemer

An argument doesn't win because people do something illegal, it works because enough people start to agree with it. This happens not through war, but through simple deduction en-masse.

If I say that fish deserve human rights and I block boulevard avenue with those who agree and cause traffic problems as cars back up for miles, does that mean I am right?

Will you stand by my side and agree because of the rich display my protest has created?

An argument isn't right because it involves protesting. It's right because people agree.

It's sad that our government requires protesting to make choices on certain things. Ideally, we could have a true democracy and have people vote on something to see what they think. The very fact that protesting might be required to communicate this hints that government as we know it is somewhat autocratic. My point here is to say that protesting is not a universal answer. By assuming it's you have made a mistake and might be encouraging the wrong sorts of responses in people. They may assume the only way to get their message across is to kill someone. This would be stupid, if there was an alternative. But because they're programmed to think that expansive shows of defiance are the only answer then ti's their natural impulse.

So, in summary, before you start causing trouble for the rest of the nation you ought to be sure that enough people agree with you. Otherwise, you're essentially committing a crime. How else can one see it? If I prevent a business from continuing its activities because I believe peanuts have a soul and so I block their offices and close their gates, and most people disagree, I will be viewed as a terrorist. It doesn't matter whether I block highways or city streets or shutdown the subway or put the white house under arrest. Without mutual agreement, it's plain wrong.

Is a Ddos attack actually illegal?

If so, then a regular citizen website owner, such as I, should be able to report it to my local police and expect them to fully investigate and prosecute the attacker.

Whitehouse.gov is not vital to national security, it is just a marketing platform same as mine. The same resources used to investigate and potentionally prosecute it's attackers should also be available to me. Are they? Hell No!

Damn near put those DC Marxist out of business!The Terrorist Within

Didn't mess up more of 'racist' Holder and Obama's weapon shipments to Mexico, did it?

reply to post by hapablab


i agree...they are waiting for an excuse and isn't the killswitch legislation already written?

There seems to be much confusion and many assumptions over what anonymous is or isn't. I'd prefer to make my own thread, but I need 20 posts first. I've been an anon for a little over five years now and was hoping I could answer ATS questions, Anon style. Anyone curious as to what an average anon knows?

For a little anon background information, this is what the media said about them years ago. For some reason, I've never seen this vital video posted on ATS, or anywhere really when they speak of us.

www.youtube.com...

reply to post by Anoniemoose


also there is this thread here www.abovetopsecret.com... - anonymous 101, the who the were the why, explains via published articles, exactly how anonymous started out and exactly what they have been doing for years. As above poster stated there seems a lot of confusion as to what anon has or hasnt done or even why they do it.

Originally posted by ronishia
reply to post by Anoniemoose

 

also there is this thread here www.abovetopsecret.com... - anonymous 101, the who the were the why, explains via published articles, exactly how anonymous started out and exactly what they have been doing for years. As above poster stated there seems a lot of confusion as to what anon has or hasnt done or even why they do it.

edit on 22/1/12 by ronishia because: (no reason given)

Those are all links to uninformed news articles. They do not convey true message. I'm offering answers as a longtime Anon.

I appreciate the thought though

reply to post by Anoniemoose


perhaps, however it gives a better idea than people simply saying "anon are nothing but a bunch of haxxors" which is just wrong, people have the misconception that anon are just a 'group of hackers' the reality is that anon are everyone who stands for what's right, people all over the world join the anonymous movement because they are sick and tired of the corrupt to name but a few. The anons' that i have conversed with over the years (and even to this day) will tell you the exact same (as you may well know). The downsides of anon is that anyone can say & do something and claim anon done it, in the spirit of conspiracy even the powers that be could infiltrate and blame it on anon. At least the 101 thread gives a little better understanding of the *movement* - at least better than what most already believe.

Anon started for the lulz then mutated and grew into more, i don't always agree with the method but i do agree with the message, peace to you

Originally posted by ronishia
reply to post by Anoniemoose

 

perhaps, however it gives a better idea than people simply saying "anon are nothing but a bunch of haxxors" which is just wrong, people have the misconception that anon are just a 'group of hackers' the reality is that anon are everyone who stands for what's right, people all over the world join the anonymous movement because they are sick and tired of the corrupt to name but a few. The anons' that i have conversed with over the years (and even to this day) will tell you the exact same (as you may well know). The downsides of anon is that anyone can say & do something and claim anon done it, in the spirit of conspiracy even the powers that be could infiltrate and blame it on anon. At least the 101 thread gives a little better understanding of the *movement* - at least better than what most already believe.

Anon started for the lulz then mutated and grew into more, i don't always agree with the method but i do agree with the message, peace to you

Anonymous doesn't stand for wearing our symbols at protests. I would like to give a different perspective to what the majority is all about, and my own theories on that.

The fake anons wearing masks and protesting on behalf of us are completely shunned on our forums. They are considered the downfall of our group. We are an internet based society, and to basically say that you're anonymous in public in order to achieve something defeats the whole purpose of anonymity.

But on the other side of this news-infiltrated "hacker" group is the majority of anons who use the various boards ranging from video games, animals, cooking, paranormal, literature, science, an especially anime, to discuss a broad range of topics anonymously. Will these even more true anons suffer the consequences of some out-spoken people who want to take the group into their own hands? That is the issue that needs resolving.

reply to post by Anoniemoose


im a regular visitor to one said board, and i do know especially the long term "members" are a little taffed off with the direction certain people are going, i would agree there. anyways would love to discuss this more but i feel we are derailing from thread topic slightly, i shall see you around the boards

reply to post by whatsinaname


No.. it's the opposite. They did this because the government closed down a website. So if they pass SOPA, PIPA, or that other new act. They can expect more and worse than just DDOS.

reply to post by jonnywhite

So, in summary, before you start causing trouble for the rest of the nation you ought to be sure that enough people agree with you. Otherwise, you're essentially committing a crime. How else can one see it? If I prevent a business from continuing its activities because I believe peanuts have a soul and so I block their offices and close their gates, and most people disagree, I will be viewed as a terrorist. It doesn't matter whether I block highways or city streets or shutdown the subway or put the white house under arrest. Without mutual agreement, it's plain wrong.

thank you for your reply. Some of the online protests have been large scale. In the wake of the wikileaks Ddos attacks by the the gesture almost 2000 wikileaks were mirrored and in the weeks that followed over 9000 counter attacks on the web. So in regards to people in agreement there are plenty...

|As to affecting business. the US governmet illegally used companies like mastercard, visa, and paypal to stop payments to wikileaks ( a legitimate business) and if a government decides to use a company as a wepon, do people not have the right to protest and hit these companies on the front door with Ddos attacks.

If you have a problem with a group of hactivists damaging companies, then surley you should have a far bigger problems with the likes of the banking system damaging and destroying business on a worldwide scale.

If peanuts have a soul announce a peanut operation and see how many people decide to follow it. The proof is in the pudding you will not get many followers. Where as engaging an operation against the likes of a company like monstanto at the right time could prove devastating. |This is online democracy. The protection of the sovering nation known as the internet.

It is not about causing trouble it is about trying to keep the internet a free place. If you do not agree with it, thats ok its your choice and I repsect that.

But I disagree with the fact you need need mutual agreement to do something.. That is a method of control use to keep things just the way they are.The government certainly acts without mutual agrement and instead of listening to the people listens to the banks... In the occupy protests in the US there have been thousands of arrests.. All protesters. How many bankers have been arrested.

Wake up this is your world, the governments of the people should answer to the populace not the other way round. What gives governments the right just to close down internet sights. Is it any different to the Germans buring piles of books in the war.

The state controls your education, the new papers and the tv. Do you trust them enough to hand them the internet on plate...

If we loose control of the net we truly will be left in the dark

Smells like a false flag operation to me. First they "couldn't find" Osama and now it's these mystery hackers. With the technology that the government has, they can find whoever they want to.

Originally posted by Kimmortal
Smells like a false flag operation to me. First they "couldn't find" Osama and now it's these mystery hackers. With the technology that the government has, they can find whoever they want to.

So true. Anytime some supposed evil group gets air time in the mass media, it's bound to be a psyop. The media talks about this group called Anonymous, like it's a single entity. If these people are truly anonymous and decentralized, how can the media treat them like a group. One thing is for sure -- newsworthy stories are not be allowed on mainstream news. I agree that sophistocated technology exists to track these DDOS attacks. Ask this guy:

www.g4tv.com...

Originally posted by hapablab
This is a false flag if I ever seen one, SOPA and PIPA fail so lets create a cyberwar to prove how important they are.

Make's you think

Originally posted by 0010110011101
Get ready for a new kill switch, they're playing into their hands.........

Playing into there hands? i personally dont know if Anonymous and the gov't are tied together, for all we know this could all be one last point to say this is why we need privacy, look at the online terrorists like the did with Iraq but the internet. They are trying to shut down a way for free thinking, critical people who will do something about whats going on,way to communicate. trying to keep people in the dark about real social and political issues.

Originally posted by hapablab
This is a false flag if I ever seen one, SOPA and PIPA fail so lets create a cyberwar to prove how important they are.

I agree with you on that. I believe they were counting on people like Anonymous to get mad and get even. That way they can say that we are out of control and these bills need to be passed in order to protect everyone from people like Anonymous

Lovely I have been on anonymous side so far but this is going to make me look again.