AC = Domestic Terrorists? 519
Miang writes "A video from a recent FOX 11 (Los Angeles) newscast has surfaced on YouTube. In the segment, reporter Phil Shuman investigates so-called "Hacker Gangs" comprised entirely of anonymous users. The segment, which focuses mainly on users at 4chan, 7chan, and 420chan, seems to confuse /b/ raids and motivational poster templates with a genuine threat to the American public. For added FUD, the FOX team inserted an unrelated video of a van blowing up — twice! Presumably, one is intended to equate anonymous posting with domestic terror. The story and video can be found on the local FOX website, so it does not appear to be simply a clever parody." Cringe as you watch this video explain terms like 'LULZ' and show inspirational poster parodies as evidence of the evils of this terrifying "Group".
"so-called 'hacker gangs'" (Score:3, Insightful)
They're only called that because you just called them that! Jeeez. There are roving gangs of hackers, lurking the backstreets of the 'net looking for sites to spray their graffiti on.
Yellow journalism at its finest (Score:5, Insightful)
Hackers On Steroids (Score:5, Insightful)
They did bring us HP7... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:I actually have sympathy.... (Score:5, Insightful)
The internet is a wonderful place, everyone can get their 15 minutes of fame, and more. However, it might not be the fame they want, and trying to control it is absolutely futile. Maybe posting some sob story on your livejournal that everyone on the internet can read isn't such a good idea, maybe posting too much skin on your myspace is a bad idea too. It's as if people forget why it's a good idea to protect your privacy when they go on the internet, and some of these people get burnt by it. I hope they learn something at least.
Re:I actually have sympathy.... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:I actually have sympathy.... (Score:5, Insightful)
And "reporter" is what happens when you have sunk so low that it doesn't matter anymore what you say as long as it's controversial.
No matter how anonymity may be abused, it's an essential part of a functioning democracy and free society, because if you don't have it, the only people participating in discussions are those with nothing to lose.
You got a bunch of people (Score:5, Insightful)
simply wow (Score:4, Insightful)
First off, wasn't the Harry Potter spoiler clip in the middle of there taken from the Daily Show? (I could swear that's John Oliver's voice).
Second, the tool with the MySpace account--it's clear to anyone that has any idea about anything that he simply ended up with a virus/keylogger installed. "Anonymous" got his passwords from that and the virus got spread to his friends. Woooooh, that kinda shits been happening on the internet for forever now. He simply appears even more foolish for not having even that much of a clue (hell, my grandparents are aware that there are viruses and nasties out there).
What I find most disturbing about this is that if anyone sends Fox 11 an email/letter/phone call/whatever explaining to them how far off base their piece is, they'll just treat it all as threats that further back up their claim. Truly truly sad....
HA! (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:/b/ raids? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:You got a bunch of people (Score:5, Insightful)
We are all more or less anonymous here on slashdot. Very few people know who hides behind a username. The problem with ACs isn't their anonymity, it's their lack of identity. It's the same thing people are discussing about certain muslim women covering their face. Not only are they anonymous (most everyone in a big city is, even if they tell you their name (which could be fake)), but they also lack an identity. If you met her later, you wouldn't be able to tell if it was the same woman, or somebody else. This makes people feel uneasy about talking to such a person, even if she is a nice religious woman, and not a bank-robber (although bank-robbers have been known to use burkas as well).
It is no doubt that anonymity, and certainly, lack of identity, leads to antisocial behaviour. If people are to be held responsible for their actions, they need to be recognized by the people around them. That's why every discussion group on the Internet is full of people behaving antisocially, from flamers to trolls to crackpots, most of those people would have shut their mouth if it wasn't for the fact that they are anonymous. People who also choose to lack an identity (such as AC) are usually even worse, and seldom worth listening to.
There is nothing wrong about being scared of anonymity. What is funny about the Fox 11 coverage isn't that they claim anonymous Internet users can behave badly. What is funny is that they compare this to actual real-world terrorism, which, to take it mildly, is quite a different matter.
Re:Yellow journalism at its finest (Score:3, Insightful)
Fox 11 Trolled (Score:5, Insightful)
Congratulations, sir. You have my undying admiration for having the balls to do a RL troll the likes of which I have never seen before.
What's wrong with people. (Score:5, Insightful)
ad infinitum.
Re:You got a bunch of people (Score:2, Insightful)
Conservative Fear (Score:3, Insightful)
It's little wonder groups like Al Qaeda are outmaneuvering Bush and the other conservatives: the Bushites are so fearful, they only know what they can see from their "undisclosed location". Conservative = coward.
Cowardservatives!
Re:I actually have sympathy.... (Score:1, Insightful)
In the end, I think AC is abused more than it is helpful. As another poster pointed out, people tend to do more extreme things when they can be an AC. Take that away, and they act nice and respectable. It's like the a school kid who is nice to you when your there, but mean, disrespectful, vindictive, and goes out of their way to cause trouble for you when you're not around.
Re:Yellow journalism at its finest (Score:3, Insightful)
Anonymous always delivers.
Re:You got a bunch of people (Score:3, Insightful)
But ACs aren't the extent of anonymity on Slashdot. You go by the nickname iminplaya. I assume that's not your real name. All I know about you is that you have 6,309 posts on slashdot, I can easily find the last 24 if I'd like, and somehow after 6,309 posts you've managed to avoid getting a karma bonus.
The same is pretty much true with me. Even though I seem to be the only 'AusIV' on the web, I still have a great deal of anonymity. Someone who knows me might be able to track what I say (and I keep that in mind), but I still have the wiggle room to say what I want on the web without being concerned it's going to piss them off and they're going to hunt me down in real life.
Re:Yellow journalism at its finest (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:HA! (Score:5, Insightful)
Privacy = Terrorism (Score:3, Insightful)
Cue suggestions to track people by name and number online, to prevent this kind of terrorism. The police state and crackdown on piracy fits lovingly well together.
Yes, that's a bit on the paranoid side. I'm bored.
Re:Yellow journalism at its finest (Score:3, Insightful)
I try, I really do, not to fall into the obvious traps but if I did it wouldn't be the first time. My implied premise is that there's a difference between Anonymous and anonymous. Ok that's splitting hairs I know but it's Saturday so I reserve the right to ride off on wild tangents. Anonymous is a proper noun and anonymous is an adjective. *sigh* I even annoy myself sometimes.
On top of the fact that I'm perched on a darkly obscure distinction is the unfortunate fact that I'm using Fox as a source. That's just asking for it. I know this.
Can I say that .*chan culture understands the label Anonymous to be part of the the tribe's defining characteristics? Along with quasi-code looking language inventions and obscure acronyms and 133+ speak. It looks to me very much like a classic case of group definition by exclusion. Note the enthusiasm someone demonstrated when they proudly declared that anyone showing up in their territory because of Fox has already been excluded as a "foxfag".
Also, while I'd be the very very VERY last person to side with Fox on anything there's an old cautionary phrase that fits: A third-rate professional is always better than a first-rate amateur. So while Fox has ulterior motives and their coverage of everything is tinted red, one shouldn't write off the bare facts they used with a wave of the hand. They are professional information gatherers.
And also .*chan claimed ownership of goatse. That's just plain stupid. Probably evil too.
Re:overrated-MOD TO OBLIVION (Score:3, Insightful)
Anonymity is a prime ingredient for a functioning democracy. Take camera surveillance. People are going to be scared to do anything out of the ordinary, for fear of being flagged as a peculiar guy (and thus much more likely to be caught doing anything illegal, even the mundane stuff like throwing something on the ground instead of in the trashcan). This fear prevents anyone from questioning the status quo, and thus a "democracy" results in everyone agreeing with the current government.
B.
Re:What's wrong with people. (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Conservative Fear (Score:4, Insightful)
First off, you have a news station who adds a bit too much drama to their report, making it bigger than it should be. In turn, when this hits the web, it becomes a lambasting of the people who were victimized here.
Yes, these aren't 'hackers on steroids' or anything. The report is just talking about groups of malicious internet users -- I'm sure many of them have no skills and are at best script kiddies. The point is that there are people running around harassing people. Your typical slashdotter may feel the need to make fun of the mom that found a need to get a security system and a dog, but that's EXACTLY the kind of reaction most of our parents would have if confronted with calls of death threats, posting of family members pictures and addresses online, and notices for people to do bad stuff to them.
What you have are groups of people who do have fun being assholes to the rest of the internet. Terrorists, no. But it is a problem, none-the-less. So go ahead and laugh at the people that these assholes victimize. I, for one, don't think it's funny.
SAGE (Score:2, Insightful)