After the horrific terrorist attacks on Paris on Friday, November 13, hacker collective Anonymous announced that they were going to wage war on the group responsible, ISIS. Their chilling video hit the web earlier this week, and they warned ISIS to “get prepared” for the hackers’ “biggest operation.” But let’s go back to the beginning. What is “Anonymous,” and what can we expect from this war? Here’s what you should know about the group.
Anonymous first came to national attention in 2008 with its hacktivism against the Church of Scientology. Project Chanology, as it was called, involved prank calls, raiding, and DDoS attacks against the church’s websites. Since then, the network has taken on KKK members, New Jersey cops involved in Phillip White’s death, and many other groups who need to be taken down a peg or two after engaging in terrible acts.
Their most recent crusade against ISIS, called #OPPARIS, was outlined in their two-minute video, focusing on gathering intelligence and taking down ISIS-related accounts. But what can Anonymous actually do against such a large terror threat? In just a few days since the video surfaced, the hacktivists have taken down more than 3,800 ISIS Twitter accounts and destroyed donation pages. And this isn’t even their first fight against ISIS: Since 2014, Anonymous has been taking on the terrorists, flagging sites and taking down social accounts. It clearly won’t be an easy war, and Anonymous can’t do it alone. In fact, they even revealed instructions on how anyone can help with the fight.
What’s your take on Anonymous’s crusade against ISIS?