History of Anonymous

             I think we all have heard about this group of activists. Anonymous group have marked their presence in many coutries, including in Brazil. So, this post is a tribute to them and I hope they keep their work for a fair and better world. This post is a summary of three articles. The first was published with the incomplete title above in October of 2011 at http://resources.infosecinstitute.com/a-history-of-anonymous/#gref.  The second was published in February 2015 and  at https://www.bustle.com/articles/65444-how-did-anonymous-start-the-history-of-the-mysterious-hacktivist-group-began-quite-some-time-ago. The third was published in March of 2016 at http://abcnews.go.com/US/worldwide-hacker-group-anonymous/story?id=37761302

             Anonymous is the most famous 'hacktivist' group in the world. The informal nature of the group makes its mechanics difficult to define. Subsequently, without a formal organizational hierarchy, it is difficult to explain Anonymous to the general public. In this article, I'll explain the history of the group and offer some clarity on what is misunderstood about them. 'Hacktivist' is a portmanteau of hacker and activist. When people have technical skills, access to internet and understand how network infrastructure and servers work, it can be tempting to put that knowledge into having some effect on the world. The activist part means that they do not do their hacking without a cause. The various people behind Anonymous worldwide are united in a belief that corporations and organizations they consider to be corrupt should be attacked. Not all of Anonymous' activities involve attacking networks or websites. Anonymous has also been active in initiating public protests. But the web and IRC channels are the lifeblood of the group. If it were not for the Internet, Anonymous would have never existed. 4chan.org, an image-based bulletin board website, inspired by 2channel, a massive Internet forum, with random content, which is especially popular in Japan. 4chan allows people to post anonymously as well. Unlike 2channel, the vast majority of 4chan is in English. Any poster who does not post text in the name field automatically gets credited as 'Anonymous'. In 2008, the Project Chanology, during the various Anonymous protests against Scientology that year, many protesters wore Guy Fawkes masks, in the spirit of the popular film "V for Vendetta", and also to protect their identities from the cult, which is known for attacking dissenters that Scientology calls 'supressive persons'. In 2009, there were the Project skynet and Operation Didgeridie. In June, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was elected in Iran, which triggered protests across the country. In response, Anonymous Iran was created, and offered Iranians a forum to the world which was kept safe amidst the Iranian government's crackdowns on online news about the riots. Project Skynet was launched in the same month, to fight Internet censorship worldwide. Operation Didgeridie started in September. The Australian government had plans to censor the Internet at the ISP level. On the 9th, an Anonymous initiated DDos attack on Prime Minister website brought it down for about an hour. In 2011, Mid-July, people from Adbusters, the anti-consumerism magazine, started discussing what could be done in response to corporate corruption on Wall Street. The Occupy Wall Street movement was planned from there. On August 23rd, Anonymous expressed support of the Occupy Wall Street movement with a video post on YouTube. From September and onward, many thousands of people have been involved in the protests. Many cities around the world have joined the movement, such as Chicago, Toronto, London, Tokio, Madrid, Milan and Stockholm. The ubiquitous and now Anonymous related Guy Fawkes masks can often be seen on protests. 'Hacktivism' is now a major phenomenon, and Anonymous is far from the only 'hacktivist' group. The Internet and the Information Age is accelerating the evolution of society and activism. It is becoming more and more difficult to censor any information. I am excited to watch how networking technology is changing the world.                                                                                                                                                                      For an unidentified group, the collective called Anonymous has made the news quite a few times since its inception. They are largely considered the most famous activist group in the world. The New Yorker surmises that they might be the most powerful non-governmental hacking group in the world. So, exactly how did Anonymous start? Where do they come from? What are they trying to do? The group, which is composed of a loosely organized international network of hacktivists, has its roots from the online bulletin board 4chan, which started in 2003. The name "Anonymous" was inspired by the perceived anonymity under which users posted on 4chan. The group's two symbols, the Guy Fawkes mask that they wear in public and the "man without the head" image, both underscore the group's inscrutability and lack of any formal leadership. Members of the group calls themselves "hacktivists", a word coined from the combination of hacker and activists. The hacker collective's first cause to make headlines was a 2008 effort called "Project Chanology." After the church of Scientology removed a video of Tom Cruise touting the benefits of the religion from the Internet because it portrayed the church in a negative light. Anonymous struck back by posting a video called "Message to Scientology" The group said they wanted to uncover how danger an organization Scientology really was, and how the removal of the Tom Cruise video violated free speech. Since then, the collective has been involved in everything from Occupy Wall Street to the shooting of Michael Brown. The group is now being praised for its work, particularly its mission to combat cyber jihadists. Whoever they are, wherever they are, with their philosophy of activism, hopefully Anonymous continues to use their power for good.

             Anonymous is an amorphous group of people that can include anyone who wants to use the brand to put forth their cause, according to internet activist Gregg Housh, formerly with Anonymous. Housh says that Anonymous was conceived to be used and adopted by anyone. There is also the real-world manifestation of the Anonymous movement, which has been represented at rallies around the world by protesters wearing the now iconic Guy Fawkes masks obscuring their identity. While there are not specific goals, there is an overarching desire to combat censorship, promote freedom of speech, and counter government control that sparks people in the so-called collective into action, according to Housh. He said that perhaps the only guiding principle is "anti-oppression." Since there are not membership lists, newsletters or committees, people organize by two primary pathways: either though previous connections or anyone with an idea can call on others to go into a chat group and discuss the idea further. That also means that not evryone associated with the group agrees on every action taken under its name. Anonymous is known to vigorously go after its targets. It has been associated with crashing web servers, website defacement and leaking hacked private information. For example, the group allegedly targeted computer security firm HPGary and its CEO, claiming that the company was going to disclose details of Anonymous members in 2011. In 2013, Anonymous gained notoriety when then 26 year-old programmer Deric Lostutter worked to expose the cover-up in the Steubenville rape case. His video message calling for action, spurred Web site take-overs and uncovering of personal emails reported Rolling Stone in a lengthy profile of the incident.. The group   The group also uses it tech-savvy abilities to promote causes it supports. Anonymous worked with other groups to assist the Arab Spring uprising, specifically in Tunisia and Egypt, to keep the internet open for organizers on the ground, according to Housh.