WikiLeaks at it again!

It was usually used by the women, to get at the other women. Just the opposite, really.

It was usually used by the women, to get at the other women. Just the opposite, really.

If you want to deal in specifics, it was a group of adolescent girls in Salem. But anybody could accuse someone else.

"And I barely got away, too. I'm lucky I managed to slip away before the court could find me~" - The Priestess

# Collective known as "Anonymous" claimed attacks on MasterCard, other websites
# Internet activist says people can turn their computers over to "Anonymous"
# He says group will use collective power of linked computers to overwhelm targeted servers
# Goal of Anonymous and Operation Payback? "Unlimited freedom of expression"



If you think there's a group of nerdish hackers somewhere hunched over their computers launching cyberattacks 24-7 on companies that have refused service to WikiLeaks, you're wrong.

Helping the hacking forum known as "Anonymous" and "Operation Payback" can be as simple as sending an e-mail to one of the many websites it uses -- and letting the hackers take control of your computer.

Anonymous claimed responsibility for disabling or disrupting the sites of MasterCard, Visa and PayPal this week. The attacks came on the heels of WikiLeaks leader Julian Assange's arrest.

"You don't have to be at your computer. All you've got to do is send Anonymous an e-mail that says, 'I consent to you using my computer, do whatever you like,' " and the people with Anonymous link to your computer, connect it with others who've consented, and use the collective force (among the machines) to launch these attacks," Gregg Housh, a 34-year-old internet activist based in Boston told CNN.

The Anonymous crew existed long before the WikiLeaks saga. In the past, they've launched attacks on websites of the Church of Scientology, the Motion Picture Association of America and the Recording Industry Association of America. But by comparison, those were relatively anonymous, as it were.


Housh responded to an e-mail sent by CNN to an Anonymous website asking for an interview. Housh, speaking by telephone, said he's only monitoring Anonymous' activity and has not participated in the WikiLeaks-related attacks.

Anonymous has no command structure and no spokesperson, said Housh. But it does have some collective discipline.

"Anonymous is nonexistent. We don't have members," he said. "If you want to go on [in a portal] and say, 'Let's attack this group and the majority of the people who are in that portal at that time agree, then that group will be targeted. If the majority of people present in the portal decide -- at that time -- that your suggested target is a dumb idea, nobody acts."

Network researcher Dr. Jose Nazario confirmed Housh's account of how the site works and how many people and computers are involved in the attacks.

Nazario is a researcher with Arbor Networks, a Chelmsford, Massachusetts, firm that tracks malicious activity on computer networks. Arbor Networks works for private sector clients with ISPs large enough to be the victims of attacks such as the ones MasterCard and Visa experienced. The firm also works with law enforcement.

Nazario has been monitoring Anonymous for a corporate client but would not say which one. He said about 1,500 people with computers based in the United States have been consistently chatting on the Anonymous site this week.

Many of those people have downloaded a tool that Anonymous created so that their computers can be linked, Nazario said. The tool is designed to repeatedly request data from servers, in turn overwhelming the servers and temporarily disabling sites.

So how many computers does it take to bring down a major corporation's Web site?

No more than 120, according to an analysis of Anonymous that Nazario performed this week. "It doesn't take a massive number of machines at all," he said.

"What's unusual about this is that people are volunteering their PCs," Nazario said. "You just don't see that often."

In addition to Housh, CNN talked online with several people who identified themselves as Anonymous volunteers. They would not give their names, but this is part of the conversation:

CNN: Who is Anonymous, Operation Payback? How do you work? Anon: Anonymous is everyone, and everyone can be Anonymous. We are from different parts of the world with different professions working towards a common goal, following a common idea. We mainly operate via our IRC [Internet Relay Chat] rooms and social networking sites. CNN: So, how did you come together over WikiLeaks? Was this spontaneous? Tell me how it started. Anon: Operation Payback started as a demonstration against all things people were unable to change using legal means. Our primary goal is freedom of information. Any and all information. At first we were focused on issues concerning piracy (and we still are), but once the WikiLeaks fiasco occurred it was obvious we had to help. Our initial goal specifics were different, but we all share the common idea of free information. Anon (continued) At the moment, we took a side track to support Julian Assange and WikiLeaks. While their methods may be controversial, they do demand transparency, which is something we definitely support. When we think we made our point (e.g. WikiLeaks accepted as whistleblower, without fear that they will be prosecuted), we will return to fighting copywrong. While we can't say for certain what our ultimate goal is, the most important ones are - justice (not by current law, but by moral) - unlimited freedom of expression - taboo of censorship: nobody should silence somebody else. CNN asked Housh if, as rumored, Twitter and Facebook would be Anonymous' next targets. Would customers of MasterCard, Visa Video or Amazon be hurt? "They aren't here to hurt free speech. They aren't going to attack you," he answered. "You don't want to go after people, you want to go after the corporation. The people are not your enemy." But the others who claim they are involved with Anonymous say it's not so clear-cut. Here are more excerpts from CNN's online conversation with members who claimed to be part of Anonymous. CNN: Do you see this expanding to disrupting the payment system at MasterCard? Anon: Anything is possible ... Depends on who decides to join the cause. You never know We can not say anything about our tactics at this time. The ultimate goal for Operation Payback is just as fuzzy. CNN: What's the end goal for you? What do you want to see happen as a result of Operation Payback? Anon: Personally? An (sic) utopian society. This is just a new way to fight ... We will fight until this primary goal has been achieved ... We started this operatiion (sic) to save and protect the freedom to share information freely without any censorship. We will fight until this primary goal has been achieved.

I fucking love you 4chan, Anonymous.

"In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act."

Operation Payback is a coordinated group of attacks on opponents of internet piracy by internet activists. It was created by users of 4chan, an online community which also gave rise to the Project Chanology attacks by Anonymous against the Church of Scientology as well as other internet memes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Payback



Operation Payback started as retaliation to distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks on torrent sites; piracy proponents then decided to launch DDoS attacks on piracy opponents. The initial reaction snowballed into a wave of attacks on major pro-copyright and anti-piracy organizations, law firms, and individuals. In December 2010, following the United States diplomatic cables leak, the organizers commenced DDoS attacks on websites of banks who had withdrawn banking facilities from WikiLeaks.




Operation Avenge Assange

In December 2010, WikiLeaks came under intense pressure to stop publishing secret United States diplomatic cables. Corporations such as Amazon, PayPal, PostFinance, MasterCard and Visa either stopped working with or froze donations to WikiLeaks, some due to political pressures. In response, those behind Operation Payback directed their activities against these companies for dropping support to WikiLeaks. Operation Payback launched DDoS attacks against PayPal, the Swiss bank PostFinance and the Swedish Prosecution Authority. On 8 December 2010, a coordinated DDoS attack by Operation Payback brought down both the MasterCard and Visa websites.On the 9th December 2010, prior to a sustained DDoS attack on the Paypal website that caused a minor slowdown to their service, Paypal announced on its blog that they would release all remaining funds in the account of the Wau Holland Foundation that was raising funds for WikiLeaks, but would not reactivate the account. Regarding the attacks, WikiLeaks spokesman Kristinn Hrafnsson denied any relation to the group and said: “We neither condemn nor applaud these attacks. We believe they are a reflection of public opinion on the actions of the targets. On the same day, a 16-year-old boy was arrested in The Hague, Netherlands, in connection with the distributed denial-of-service attacks against MasterCard and PayPal. On 10 December 2010, The Daily Telegraph reported Anonymous as having threatened British government websites if Assenge is extradited to Sweden. Anonymous issued a press release in an attempt to clarify the issue








and finally. great points given from TheYoungTurks.




Take what you want from it.

Assange granted bail at London court hearing

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe...ex.html?hpt=T1

About 100 people demonstrate support for Assange outside court Bail granted after judge satisfied with Assange's residence Assange will be kept on "mansion arrest," attorney says Assange is accused of sex crimes in Sweden

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was granted bail Tuesday after a hearing at Westminster Magistrate's Court in London.

The 39-year-old Australian handed himself over to London police last week to answer a European arrest warrant over alleged sex crimes in Sweden.

Assange is facing accusations of rape, sexual molestation and illegal use of force in separate incidents in August in Stockholm. He could be sentenced to two years in prison if convicted. His lawyers deny the allegations and have vowed to fight any attempts at extradition.

The magistrate agreed to grant bail Tuesday after Assange's team of attorneys reported that Vaughan Smith, a former British army officer who founded London's Frontline Club, had offered his mansion in Suffolk to Assange.

Smith will keep Assange "if not under house arrest, at least under mansion arrest," said defense attorney Geoffrey Robinson. At that, Assange, dressed in a white shirt and a blue jacket and sitting in a glassed-in corner of the court with three security guards, smiled wryly.

The magistrate set bail at 200,000 pounds (about $315,000) plus two sureties of 20,000 pounds each (about $31,500). Assange's passport must remain with police, and he will be monitored by a location tag.

Assange must be at Smith's mansion, about two hours outside of London, for at least four hours overnight and four hours during the day. He will be required to report to police daily between 6 and 8 p.m. The next court hearing was scheduled for January 11.

After the conditions were set, Assange stood and said, "I understand," with a neutral expression.

Outside the court, about 100 people demonstrated in support of Assange, holding signs saying "Julian Assange is a political prisoner" and "Why are you shooting the messenger? This is not 1984."

During the hearing, Assange's team of attorneys argued that since he is only wanted for questioning and has not been formally charged, he is presumed innocent. The magistrate agreed.

But, said Gemma Lindfield, the attorney representing the Swedish prosecution, "The court has already found that Mr. Assange is a flight risk. Nothing has changed in this regard."

She said if the alleged offenses had occurred in Britain, "it undoubtedly would have been a charge of rape in this jurisdiction."

Those in attendance at the hearing included Fatima Bhutto, niece of the late Pakistani politician Benazir Bhutto and current Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, and prominent left-wing journalist John Pilger.

The judge denied Assange's first request for bail at a hearing on December 7 on the grounds that there was a risk he would fail to surrender.

WikiLeaks' release of thousands of secret U.S. diplomatic and military documents is also under criminal review in the United States.

Last week, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said he had authorized "significant" actions related to a criminal investigation into WikiLeaks' publication of the materials but has declined to elaborate.

An attorney for the WikiLeaks founder, citing Swedish authorities, has said a secret grand jury is meeting in Alexandria, Virginia, to consider charges related to the release of the documents.

WikiLeaks inflamed U.S. authorities last month by publishing the first of a large group of confidential U.S. diplomatic cables.

Only a small fraction of the 250,000 U.S. State Department documents have been released and more are being published daily.

U.S. authorities and other Western leaders say the documents' publication threatens lives and national security.

WikiLeaks and its supporters say that the public has a right to know what is going on behind diplomatic doors.

Assange has been in custody since handing himself over to police last week.

On Tuesday, Australian broadcaster and CNN affiliate, Seven News, said it had received his first correspondence since being imprisoned.

The network said Assange's mother, Christine, who is in London after traveling from Australia to be near her son, handed it a note in response to her question as to whether it had been worth it.

The statement from her son said: "My convictions are unfaltering. I remain true to the ideals I have expressed. This circumstance shall not shake them. If anything this process has increased my determination that they are true and correct."

Christine Assange told Seven News she supported her son and appealed for others to do the same. "As a mother, I'm asking the world to stand up for my brave son," she said.

On his last appearance in court, several celebrities joined protesters with offers to post bail.

In an email entitled "Hands Off WikiLeaks," human rights activist Peter Tatchell urged readers to join him outside the court to defend the website and its founder.

"The WikiLeaks revelations regarding secret U.S. diplomatic cables have exposed the two-faced, dirty diplomacy of the U.S. government and its support for unsavoury regimes and human rights abusers," Tatchell wrote.

He added: "Although the charges against Assange look like a fix to silence and discredit him, there may be truth in them. It is impossible to be sure either way. However, what is beyond question is that some top people in the U.S. are out for revenge. They want to destroy Assange and WikiLeaks."