Reflection 1- Anonymous

Prior to this assignment, I had never heard of Anonymous. During my research, I learned that they are a “hacktivist” group that opposes Internet censorship and control, and whose attacks mainly target governments, organizations, and corporations that they accuse of censorship. The group first appeared on the imageboard 4chan, and its members, called “Anons”, can be seen in public wearing Guy Fawkes masks. Anonymous has been tied to many instances of international hactivism that targeted groups such as the Church of Scientology; government agencies of the United States, Israel, Tunisia, Uganda; child pornography sites; copyright protection agencies; the Westboro Baptist Church; and various corporations like PayPal, MasterCard, Visa, and Sony. I also learned that Anons have publically supported Wikileaks, the Arab Spring, and the Occupy movement. In 2012, Time called Anonymous one of the “100 most influential people” in the world. It was fascinating to see the varying approval of the group—some see Anons as “freedom fighters” and “digital Robin Hoods”, while some critics have labeled the group as “cyber terrorists”. Their mission of exposing others and fighting censorship is a bit ironic, considering their core value of secrecy and anonymity. Although some Anons just focus on “lulz”, or entertainment, many Anons choose to focus their efforts on political activism. What I find intriguing about Anonymous is its ability to execute large-scale hacktivism, despite its decentralization and lack of leadership. Furthermore, I am interested in exploring is how Anons come to be involved in the group, how they manage internal disagreements, and how they maintain their anonymity in transparent forums like the Internet.