Anonymous: The Online Bully

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Anonymous: The Online Bully Recently, a number of high profile hacks and information leaks have taken place online. Privacy has never been as big of a concern as it is now. A key group involved in leaking information is Anonymous, comprised of “nameless and faceless folk” that claim to “represent chaotic freedom” (Knappenberger, 2012). While some may believe that the hacker group Anonymous can be used as a tool for social change, I believe that the group is no more than a guise for cyber criminals who believe that they are above the law. The group is inherently unethical because they are an amorphous, pointless group invading the safety and privacy of others. “Effort and courage are not enough without purpose and direction” (Kennedy, 1960). …show more content…

Any computer hacker can claim that they are a part of Anonymous, or they are carrying out the group’s mission. Those far and few individuals that successfully create positive change does not make Anonymous a justifiable group. The majority of members pull humorous pranks to bully others or for self-enjoyment (Knappenberger, 2012) essentially counteracting any positive change Anonymous by few for the bullying and torment of a …show more content…

These laws and policies are put in place to maintain social order and ensure the safety of all members of society. The lengths that these hacktivist groups go to are completely unethical and ignores the judicial system and privacy measures in place to prevent harm to others. Members of Anonymous do not hesitate to leak information that hasn’t been verified or would be dangerous for security or safety reasons. An example of this was after the shooting in Ferguson when a member of Anonymous released the name, picture, social media accounts, date of birth, address, tax information and a theft allegation of Bryan Willman, a man they believed to be the white police officer that shot an unarmed black teenager. Willman had never been to Ferguson and was not a police officer but as a result of the information leak he had to change all his account passwords, remove all social media accounts due to the numerous death threats and was placed under lockdown alone under 24/7 police protection for 6 days straight (Kushner, 2014). Instead of letting the police officers do their job and allowing the proper judicial process to take place, they had taken matters into their own hands, releasing Willman’s personal information. This was a common tactic by Anonymous done numerous times in the past. They release private information without considering any consequences, often releasing information of people who