Saturday, February 18, 2012

The Power of the Unknown


Gabriella,

I find the action taken by the group Anonymous quite humorous. While the idea that a group of anonymous members have such access to personal information is frightening, it is also pretty remarkable. These people hacking into computers, and hijacking databases may be a little demented and cynical, but they are also brilliant engineers and technological masterminds.  The bottom line is this – they’re smart people who know what they’re doing, and choosing what they want to do with the information they have. While most of this is used against groups they themselves are against or don’t believe in, and may seem a bit biased, it also brings a lot of truth into perspective. The act of trolling and frequent attacks or “lulz”, as they came to be known, gained a lot of attention.  Their attack against the Church of Scientology was strategically executed in a series of videos and raids against the Church and everything that it stood for. They had such influence that supporters began protesting in front of Scientology Churches and establishment. Having that kind of impact on that scale is an incredible feat, one that I feel gets overlooked. Yes, a lot of what they do had its foundation in “making fun” of groups, organizations, and ideas, but it was also very true. Anonymous’ transformation into a “political gateway for geeks to take action” has had profound results; that I think should not be mocked, but admired. 


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