- Photo: Anonymous Hacktivists in Public - Liryon
On August 24/25th 2011, I conducted an on-line interview with AnonNietzsche, a member of the hacktivist collective Anonymous. After learning about the structure and membership of the movement, I wanted to know more about their ideology and aims. These are people who have taken governments and banks off-line, and are gearing up for an occupation of Wall Street. With so much potential power over my world in their hands, I wanted to know if they were working in my interests or simply out to cause trouble.
Are Anonymous Cyberpunk Pirates, Criminals, Anarchists or Heroes?
The Internet Age may have begun in the 1960s, but it has only been the past twenty years where it seems to have come from nowhere to take over everything. For those grappling with all of this new technology and the whole world accessible from their living rooms, Anonymous have seemed like anarchists in their homes. The finer points of the WikiLeaks campaign are lost when individuals can’t check their MasterCard statement, because Anonymous have hacked the website. Annoyance turns to concern, when politicians line up to condemn them; and the police arrest protestors as security threats.
I wondered how they answered these charges. Are they cyber-terrorists, or criminal gangs, trying to bring down society and cause anarchy? Anonymous replied, “One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter. We are often considered terrorists by those we expose as crooks, and by those who are trying to turn us into the enemy. The US government is a fine example, blanketing the term terrorist against every Anon, independent of what they do. It is generally an approach taken to reduce the public’s need to think critically, and allows them to blindly follow.
“To say that our intentions are to bring down society is to not understand our actions. We often do attack governments, but it is to incite change. We are not trying to cause chaos (though the idea of having no leadership, as with anarchy, is not something I would oppose) or destroy society, but instead make it better.”
But I wanted this spelled out. I asked, ‘Should the general public fear you?’ Anonymous seemed to think that this was missing the point. “No. We attack corporations and governments that are trying to remove the rights of its citizens/consumers, or those that are involved in unethical practices.”
Where are the Checks and Balances in Anonymous?
The mark of any good democracy is in accountability. But anonymity thwarts external accountability, unless individuals are identified and forced to explain their actions in court. I was interested in what aspects exist to self-regulate within Anonymous. If there were no leaders, then were there, at least, people there with the vision and maturity to rein in the more excitable members?
Anonymous informed me that is precisely what happens. “There are many Anons that act as the brakes on certain actions that could get out of hand; though the brilliance of Anonymous is that we don’t know their age. My general experience is that people often want to respond emotionally rather than rationally, and some NewBloods pick up the wrong image of Anonymous (as a mindless hacking machine). Having those who have been around, in more operations, generally prevents actions that are not for the best occurring.”
Are Anonymous Being Mentored by the Chaos Computer Club or Other Older Hackers?
I had heard that the Chaos Computer Club (CCC) is mentoring Anonymous too. If this was true, then it was very reassuring, as CCC has established their social responsibility credentials over their 26 year history.
Anonymous was circumspect in their response, “The word mentored is probably wrong, but there are many old school hackers floating around. I have heard unverified rumours that members of the Chaos Club are still popping in.”
Does Anonymous follow the six tenets of the Hacker’s Ethic?
CCC adheres to the six tenets of the Hackers’ Ethic, as outlined by Steven Levy, in his 1984 book, Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution. They are:
- Access to computers - and anything which might teach you something about the way the world works - should be unlimited and total. Always yield to the Hands-On imperative!
- All information should be free.
- Mistrust authority - promote decentralization.
- Hackers should be judged by their hacking, not bogus criteria such as degrees, age, race, or position.
- You can create art and beauty on a computer.
- Computers can change your life for the better.
This code of conduct was intended to govern the cyberspace actions of people just like Anonymous.
It was gratifying to note that Anonymous needed no introduction to the Hackers’ Ethic. Without even listing them, the answer came back. “Access to knowledge, and information itself should be free, is something many of us defend passionately. There is inherent scepticism present as a part of Anonymous. A lack of trust for those in power becomes common when you expose lie after lie.
“Anonymity forces you to judge people on what they say and what they do. It is a great social leveller, where a 16 year old from the UK can stand side by side with a 35 year old from Brazil, with neither judged on more than they have done within Anonymous.
“I think Anonymous shows that you can change lives with computers.”
In short, it seems that Anonymous is well aware of and acts within the Hackers’ Ethic.
What are the aims and ideology of Anonymous?
Finally, I asked where this was all leading; what was the end game for Anonymous? The answer sounded attractive.
“Freedom of Information, Freedom of Knowledge, the removal of censorship and unrestricted access to the web. Equality, in all its forms (equal rights, equal voice, secularisation and the removal of institutionalised discrimination); and creating awareness and taking action against companies and governments that take part in unethical practices.”
Sources:
- BBC News, Anonymous hacktivists say Wikileaks war to continue. (December 9th, 2010.)
- Project Cyberpunk: The Hackers' Ethic. (Outlining the six tenets as laid out by Steven Levy, in 1984.)
- YouTube, Occupy Wall Street - Sep17. (Uploaded by AnonOpss, August 30th, 2011.)
Jo Harrington - Jo has a BA (Hons) in History and Philosophy and a MA in History. She has a book published on the history of Wicca.
