Considering the behavior of 4Chan, you’d be forgiven for thinking Anonymous might be cool with racism. It isn’t — so much so that Anonymous has begun leaking the names, addresses, and phone numbers of people they allege are members of the KKK onto the internet. Yep, it’s time for another total internet sh*tstorm!
The beef started a year ago with the Ferguson protests. In the wake of the KKK’s announcement it’d use “lethal force” on protesters, Anonymous revealed the names of the local chapter’s members. That now appears to be just the start of a larger operation.
So far, Anonymous has only announced its intentions — it claims it’s verifying the information and will be releasing data Thursday and Friday as part of something they’re calling #HoodsOff. But there’s already data out there: One list that leaked supposedly contains the names of several prominent politicians, although needless to say, that’s yet to be verified or confirmed. (It’s not like you can hit the KKK with a Freedom of Information Act request.) Others claim to have found the names of police officers, federal agents, and others, but, again, that’s unverified and, essentially, all we have is Anonymous’ word for it.
That said, the KKK is undeniably nervous about what hammer might drop, and honestly, once the information’s out there, it’s likely civil-rights groups, journalists and others in a better position to verify the data will be on it. One way or the other, we’ll keep an eye on it as it unfolds.