Evolving from a bunch of pranksters (largely lurkers and participants from the anarchy of places like 4chan, 7chan and Futaba - don't go in there, you might get lost) Anonymous really do seem to have become the first
true internet "hive mind", a disconnected, truly identity-free, hierarchy-free, opt-in/opt-out swarm of constantly shifting, technology savvy individuals who flock to get behind group objectives (the actual individuals/approach varying accordingly)...So, it's almost like a free-to-own-mask you can put on, and when you are wearing it, the hive (or a subset of it) *might* rally behind your idea, if it is a compelling one...the rest of the time the hive just buzzes around (mostly) stinging people - some that
deserve it, some that
definitely don't...that doesn't bother the hive, it's all done "
for the lulz" (in a casual way)...
"They" (it's important to remember here, it's highly unlikely it's going to be the same people each time - this is just a mask) have a chequered past, as obviously thanks to it's decentralised structure and constantly shifting "leadership" and membership (the hive led purely by compelling concepts) the hive will never have an "agenda", merely a target...targets in the past have been as diverse as a
racist disc jockey, a
Canadian paedophile, The
"church" of Scientology (which, interestingly, erupted into the real world)...all of which one could argue were in the public interest, but they also flew off in some very naughty directions, like
Youtube Porn Day (SFW) and putting
violently flashing images all over epilepsy support forums (which some people would find very amusing, others not amusing at all)...another favorite prank is to bring down unpopular (for whatever reason) websites using
tools like this (which is how a few Brits got arrested lately, because if you run it at home without any
onion routing, you give up your IP address, and thus the bill payer's identity), click the picture in that article and you'll see the button to turn the Ion Cannon over to the "hive mind"...
The latest attack is staggering, Anonymous (largely) likes
Wikileaks and Julian Assange (it appears) and is a bit annoyed with his treatment, and
businesses that are working against Wikileaks and are poking sticks into the hive-mind are being *viciously* attacked...I am very excited to watch how this pans out...
...and I quote - "We are Anonymous. We are Legion. We do not forgive. We do not forget. Expect us." (troll face)....
