I am chiming in / speaking up rather early on this thread and I welcome replies and feedback from any and all.
I guess the reason I am posting on this thread is because I felt a sense of justice when I read the portion of the article at the top of the thread (I did not go to the OC Register website to finish the article).
I am vaguely familiar with some of the "adventures" (at least those that have been in the news, anyway) of the hacker group that calls themselves "Anonymous". I am a PC user of average skill and knowledge (who can keep up anyway?) and in no way a hacker.
As I looked into the most recent news concerning this group I came across and article about them planning a cyber-attack and/or a protest against San Francisco's Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART). http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_18679827
So, I guess what prompts me to write this little reply is that I know I have a strong sense of justice and I try to balance it -- on a daily basis -- with a sense of tolerance and fairness. But I would be interested in what makes others condemn this group.
Lawfulness, civil disobedience, public relations: is there as big a "grey area" here as I initially thought? Do you guys have some input as to the worthiness of the chosen cause(s) or issues of this group? Because from what I understand, they are doing more than most citizen watchdog groups could ever do, using the leverage that they have due to their skills, distributed membership, anonymity (mob mentality?), and willingness to break the law.
Hopefully no one will misunderstand my desire for meaningful discussion on this topic as some sort of attempt to defend them. I know very little except they have taken on the Church of Scientology, the government of Egypt, and some corporations whom I could not remember by name nor tell why they were targets.
Thanks in advance for civil discussion and please know that my quest here is not for the purpose of this topic only, but self-improvement and understanding in other areas of my life, too.
I feel that anonymous are simply vigilantes. There’s no accountability.
Nope.
And I think the tactic of disrupting the public net also works against their cause.
The people of Fullerton are going to have to decide if, and if so, how, they will deal with the filth that occupies their police department.
Sabotaging law enforcement is a bad idea, even in the name of “social justice.” To live in a lawful society means that we aren’t supposed to undermine the system or the people whose job it is to protect us. We have to have faith that the system will achieve justice on behalf of injured or wronged parties, even if the wrongdoers are law enforcement.
What this hacker group intends to do is become the judge, jury and punisher for the apparent bad behavior of the police. It’s not up to them to declare the police department guilty.
“Social justice” is a term that can mean different things to different people and depends on one’s perspective. It is too often used as an excuse for bad or unlawful behavior.
Ditto many "lawful" organizations, corporations, and government entities: they may or may not portray themselves as accountable, but often are not, IMHO.
It’s true that while some of these may not be accountable, there are vehicles and methods in the legal system to address shortcomings. Are you arguing that because other societal entities cross the line and get away with it, we should assume that the police will get away with it, so the hackers are justified in their actions? That’s a poor argument and just allows for any rogue group with an agenda to act on it’s own, regardless of the law.