The word anonymous might suggest something done in secret without ever anyone truly knowing what it’s about.  This is exactly how one might also describe the activist movement of hackers (or “hacktivists” as some call them) known as “Anonymous”.  And as it name may suggest, very few know of the group or what it is about.

“Anonymous” started as a simple internet meme (an idea, behavior or style that spreads from person to person within a culture) back in 2003 on the image posting section of the online web-forum 4chan.  “Anonymous” began as people in the online community coordinating together anonymously to achieve agreed goals.  In its earlier stages, these goals were primarily focused on fooling around harmlessly with other websites for their own entertainment, but in 2008 in became increasingly affiliated with hacking business and government sites to incite digital protests across the globe.  Today it is developing into the largest (and most skilled) grouping of hackers in the world and has greatly been increasing its activity.  And both governments and Anonymous supports/members are trying to show the world what this movement is becoming.

Over the past few months, Anonymous activity has begun to pick up faster than it ever has before.  Most likely in a response to ACTA and SOPA and their supporters, Anonymous has claimed responsibility for a multitude of website hacks and defacing.  These recent attacks have gotten governments and corporations to start condemning the hacker movement and labeling them as “terrorist-like” figures.  In late February this last year, Interpol arrested 25 alleged Anonymous hackers across Europe and South America.  Interpol Director of Specialized Crimes and Analysis Bernd Rossbach stated “This operation shows that crime in the virtual world does have real consequences for those involved and that the Internet cannot be seen as a safe haven for criminal activity, no matter where it originates…”

However, despite all of this negative attention that Anonymous has been getting, the movement shows no sign of slowing.  An alleged Twitter account linked to the Brazilian wing of Anonymous stated in response to the arrests: “Interpol, you can’t take Anonymous.  It’s an idea.”   And this counter-government jargon can be found everywhere throughout the Anonymous movement.  One Anonymous follower (who wishes to remain unnamed to avoid incrimination) stated that “We want the government to fear us.  That’s part of our purpose.  But we can’t let them convince the general public that we’re out to hurt them.”  When asked about the purpose and objective of Anonymous, he replied with “We are not terrorists.  We are the people, fighting for the rest of the people.  We strike only when we feel that when an organization begins to violate human rights.”  However, Anonymous does not have the amount of publicity it needs to fully counter the anti-Anonymous statements that the government has been sending out.  However, a recent partnership with Wikileaks may give the “hacktivist” movement the spotlight it needs to broadcast itself properly to the world.  With this partnership, the general public will be seeing and experiencing far more Anonymous activity, and as that Anonymous follower said, “The general public will start to learn more and more of who we are.  And let’s hope they see that we’re fighting for them, and not against them.”