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Wikileaks Anonymou

Anonymous in the spotlight as authorities clamp down on hackers

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By The Drum Team, Editorial

December 17, 2010 | 2 min read

An investigation conducted by the guardian has identified an inner “hidden cabal” of “hacktivists” collective Anonymous.

The group, which has received mainstream attention recently thanks to a highly public battle against Scientology, is now on a crusade to defend WikiLeaks by orchestrating attacks on firms which refuse to do business with the whistlebowing website.

Anonymous describe themselves as an “amorphous, opt-in entity” but members admit a “command and control structure” exists whereby individuals prove themselves trustworthy to gain influence.

It is estimated that there are around 1,000 active participants in the group, but it is thought that the majority of these have no influence over the direction or strategy of the collective.

These decisions are thought to rest with an upper tier of perhaps 10 key individuals who communicate securely using invitation only Internet Relay Chat technology.

One insider told the paper: “Our project has no leader structure, only different roles. It’s all very chaotic, but we communicate and cooperate with each other. I see us as different cells of the same organism.”

Law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, are taking Anonymous seriously. Most recently two Dutch teenagers were arrested on suspicion of conducting hacking activities for the group.

Wikileaks Anonymou

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