• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

'Anonymous' hacktivists become web vigilantes

#41
Kwesi said:
I wish I coud understand this concept. Maybe it's something that comes with age.
Click to expand...

Maybe this will help:

“First they came for the Communists, but I was not a Communist so I did not speak out. Then they came for the Socialists and the Trade Unionists, but I was neither, so I did not speak out. Then they came for the Jews, but I was not a Jew so I did not speak out. And when they came for me, there was no one left to speak out for me.”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer
 
#42
Anonymous, the hacking movement has taken down the website of the Westboro Baptist Church, home of the ‘God Hates Fags’ campaign group that pickets the funerals of US soldiers whose death the group blames on an acceptance of homosexuality by the USA. It is alleged that the church made up previous threats to crash their websites by the group.

Anonymous has taken down the main website of the church together with their other websites, including the charmingly named PriestsRapeBoys.com as well as GodHatesAmerica.com, GodHatesTheWorld.com, JewsKilledJesus.com and AmericaIsDoomed.com.

The one page of the website that does resolve contains a letter from the Anonymous group that says the church’s website has been “seized by Anonymous under section #14 of the rules of the Internet.”

The church had begun a hate campaign against Anonymous and claimed that it was under threat, something that Anonymous said was a lie and a publicity stunt.

In their posting announcing the hack, Anonymous said: “Your continued biting of the Anonymous hand, however, has earned you a swift and emotionless bitchslap, in the form of this very message. Despite having had the capability to hack your sites previously, we chose not to and instead responded maturely to your threats, but you have not respected this.

“For this unremitting display of overzealousness, we award you no points. Take this defacement as a simple
warning: go away. The world (including Anonymous) disagrees with your hateful messages, but you have the right to voice them. This does not mean you can jump onto Anonymous for attention.”

The message ends with the statement: “God hates fags: assumption. Anonymous hates leeches: fact.”

In 2009, the God Hates Fags founder, Fred Phelps and his daughter Shirley Phelps-Roper were banned from entering the UK.
Click to expand...

I can't connect with any of the W.B.C.'s web sites named above nor their main site.

--------

From the comments section of the above article:​
Valksy 1 day ago Report Reply

A warning to anyone interesting in involving themselves in the activities of Anonymous. There is a suggestion that the WBC began this so that they could sue people/ISPs involved in DDoS attacks. Indeed I heard that there were “honey trap” ports open all over the place on the Westboro sites.

Word is also going around that the WBC are running short on funds and this is a fundraiser ploy to them.

Keep in mind, friends, that the WBC is only a “church” for tax purposes. Mostly it is a grift – pick a hot topic and deliberately cause outrage so that people will try and stop them, people who are in turn sued. It’s a con. A swindle. A dodge. A cult of family members who have tuned in to a way to make $$$.

As much as I would dearly invite Phelps-Roper to make herself a cup of Kool-aid, I suspect that she is just a phoney, not a zealot (despite the manic eye rolling and gurning like an imbecile she did in the debate).
Click to expand...
I concur.

--------

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]​
 
#44
Anonymous hacks Westboro Baptist Church in live radio interview
Invalid Link Removed

If one Googles...

downloads.westborobaptistchurch.com

...one will see some of Anonymous' handiwork.

--------

Anonymous Hacks Westboro Baptist Church Website During Live Confrontation
[/CENTER]
 
#45
My opinion of WBC notwithstanding, I think I'll fall back on the old saying - "There's no such thing as bad publicity."

What if they threw a protest, and no one came?

Or cared?

The best thing any of us can do about WBC is ignore them. But it has to be an all-or-nothing silent treatment. One or two people responding, one newspaper wasting ink, and they have succeeded in their mission - to garner publicity.
 
#46
I'll stick with my previous thought on the matter.

The WBC have gone so far out of their way to enrage so many people that it's only a matter of time until some family member of a fallen serviceman flips out and kills them all in totally understandable public service killing spree. And when he does, I'll donate to his legal defense.

And it's a long way to drive but I may have to go up and pee on Phelps's grave, if the line isn't too long.
 
#51
stratovani said:
Best thing to do with the WBC is completely ignore them. That's what you do with three-year-olds throwing a temper tantrum. That way there is no question of "rights" being violated and there is nothing they can do about it. And when it comes to protesting at funerals, there's a 20x20 ft "free speech zone" about a thousand yards down the road where protesting is permitted. You'll find it surrounded by a huge PA system pumping out death metal! ;)
Click to expand...

I've been avoiding posting in this thread...I feel very strongly about this sort of thing. Let's just leave it at the fact that I agree with stratovani 100%
 
#52
The funny thing is, Anonymous didn't start all this, it was a hacktivist named The Jester (or some leet speak spelling therof) who publicly took credit for the initial attacks or just a publicity stunt by WBC. Either way, Anonymous is not a force to be reckoned with, pretty much everyone who has taken them on has lost.

I truly enjoy Anonymous, I am a big fan of people being held accountable for thier actions and on many occasions Anon makes that accountability happen (pretty extremely too).

I find that free speech works best when there is a possibility of ramifications. It makes people think a little bit more before speaking.

Justice without morality, can it exist? I think so YMMV
 
#53
jady said:
The funny thing is, Anonymous didn't start all this, it was a hacktivist named The Jester (or some leet speak spelling therof) who publicly took credit for the initial attacks or just a publicity stunt by WBC. Either way, Anonymous is not a force to be reckoned with, pretty much everyone who has taken them on has lost.

I truly enjoy Anonymous, I am a big fan of people being held accountable for thier actions and on many occasions Anon makes that accountability happen (pretty extremely too).

I find that free speech works best when there is a possibility of ramifications. It makes people think a little bit more before speaking.

Justice without morality, can it exist? I think so YMMV
Click to expand...

Not in any community larger than 1.

Justice is based around what a group of people find socially acceptable, which conforms to their own moral standard. That's why there are vastly different punishments for crimes from country to country and region to region. DUI is an executable offense in some countries in SE Asia, and will lose you your license on the first go in others, while here it's a fine and suspension.
 
#55
sloasdaylight said:
Not in any community larger than 1.

Justice is based around what a group of people find socially acceptable, which conforms to their own moral standard. That's why there are vastly different punishments for crimes from country to country and region to region. DUI is an executable offense in some countries in SE Asia, and will lose you your license on the first go in others, while here it's a fine and suspension.
Click to expand...

True but anonymous is a community and whereas not all of them are in agreement (as stated in the interview posted earlier) they accept the decisions. If not they disassociate themselves from the group.

For example, I personally do not agree with abortion but being an open minded, mature individual (at least I hope :D) I do not believe it should be illegal but a personal choice with ramifications (emotional, spiritual, or otherwise).

The WBC church is IMHO a heinous group of hate fueled psychos but I WILL defend their right to speak out in words and protests. I will also defend anyones right to disagree with them and take what ever steps they deem appropriate.

Both groups (the WBC and Anonymous) need to be accountable for their actions and so far Anonymous is the only one of the two to voluntarily do that. In the eyes of Anon they are just in their actions and I happen to agree but again that is a personal choice and I will accept any ramification of that opinion.

We live in a world with fabricated rights, people think they are owed a safe nice life just because of their country of birth. You do not have the right to not be attacked or murdered, there are merely ramifications for the attacker or murderer. Free speech is a right but there are no universal rights to prevent you from being attacked from what you have to say. Free speech only protects you from governmental silencing.

In a world of legal BS and loopholes I find Anon refreshing. A strong dose of reality for those who are not too grounded in it.

EDIT: I just re-read my post and it does seem a bit pessimistic. Maybe that comes with age *sigh* I am old.
 
#57
The W.B.C.'s sites are still down...

Google: downloads.westborobaptistchurch.com

Timothy Mullins' informative computer how-to site: www.osgui.com was taken off-line for several hours nearly three weeks ago via an orchestrated and sustained DDoS attack by hackers. Timothy simply found and switched to a more secure hosting service.

Perhaps the members of that internationally renown charm school known as the Westboro Baptist Church can do likewise. After all, their reputation precedes them...
 
#58
iChatImage399654431-1.jpg
 
#60
Shirley Phelps Roper tried to hide the egg on her face when told during the interview that the WBC site was shut down, but in true fanatic form she kept on running her mouth....I hope she/they keep it up until some entity delivers the coup de grace to their entire network.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back