Anonymous is an international group of Internet -based activists, people who use a variety of means to press for change. Anonymous has no central leadership. Those who participate hide their personal identities, calling themselves Anons. Though the group is loosely organized, many members of Anonymous share similar ideals. They often voice strong support for freedom of speech and oppose censorship. The group targets individuals and organizations they accuse of greed, abuse of power, or racism. Anonymous is notorious for its ability to disrupt the Internet presence of its targets.
Anonymous formed on an online message board called 4chan, founded in 2003, that allows its users to post anonymously. By 2006, 4chan members had begun coordinating actions against targets under the name Anonymous. At first, the actions mostly took the form of pranks, such as ordering pizzas or taxis to a target’s address. Anons also trolled (harassed online) participants on other websites. In 2008, Anonymous launched a campaign against the Church of Scientology . Anons notably disrupted the church’s website with distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks. This crude type of computer attack bombards a website with data requests, overwhelming and thus disabling it.
Anonymous has launched DDoS attacks against such companies as PayPal and MasterCard. These company’s payment services blocked donations to WikiLeaks , an organization that publishes government and business secrets. During the Arab Spring political and social movements in 2010 and 2011, Anonymous attacked the websites of Middle Eastern governments accused of oppressing protesters. Anonymous also targeted websites and individuals associated with the Ferguson Police Department during the 2014 protests against police use of force in Ferguson , Missouri. Members of Anonymous have publicized the addresses and other personal information of individuals they accuse of injustice. This form of online harassment is known as doxing, from a slang word for (the publishing of) documents.
Anonymous has launched hundreds of coordinated actions around the world. Some people regard Anonymous as dangerous modern-day vigilantes . Others see them as vandals who disrupt efficient use of the Internet. Anons have also been called hacktivists—_a combination of the terms _hacker and activist.
