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Anonymous Denies Targeting Westboro Baptist Church
lenwood writes "Last week we discussed news that the hacking group Anonymous was staging an attack against Fred Phelps' Westboro Baptist Church. It turns out that this was a publicity stunt staged by WBC themselves. Anonymous issued a press release disassociating themselves from this."
I was a bit perplexed when I heard they were bothering with the WBC, and figured it was somebody's publicity stunt. There are much better targets in the world than a bunch of loons and their opportunist leader...
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The problem with anonymous: Any Anonymous Coward on slashdot is anonymous.
Those responsible for sacking the people who have just been sacked have been sacked.
Way to get yourself on anon's shit list. Not something I'd be eager to do.
Take what ye can. Give nothing back!
It was probably written by Westboro themselves to get some publicity.
But somehow I'm not surprised at all.
"I'd just like to emphasise that taking a million years isn't a metaphor here..." -Rich Bradshaw
How can you say anonymous wasn't responsible when everyone is potentially a part of Anonymous -including the people from the WBC?
How can a group that by it's very nature has no central control or even consistent make-up release such a statement. How does one member or group of members of Anonymous know whether or not any other part of Anonymous is/was doing something?
Apparently no one involved with any media outlet, anywhere on the planet, has a clue what Anonymous is or what's going on here. It's actually kind of sad.
it was anonymous from an anonymous group did an attack anonymously... just not the same anonymous guy from the same anonymous group doing an anonymous attack...
Here we are talking about it. How about we all just make a mental note to forget the name of the barber shop that did this, close the thread and carry on?
Anon can't deny anything, it's not a single unified group.
Westboro ....
Westboro ... I wish I could say what I want to say about them without reprisals from the lawyers.
You see, I have no money to defend myself from the lawsuits that would be generated from my opinion of those people. None. I wish I had evidence to accuse the minister of wrong doing of the most revolting sort - I don't.
I completely disagree with his and his congregation's methods. I find their protests completely asinine and repulsive. I can't believe people can be so stupid and misguided. It would be like someone protesting at one of their deaths for animal cruelty. There you go! PETA, protest at Westboro's functions for animal cruelty - it has the same connection as their's with protesting at soldier's funerals for homosexuality.
From TFA: The church sent out its own open letter, telling the online hacktivist group to “bring it.” “A puddle of pimple-faced nerds organised under the cowardly banner of ‘Anonymous’ claim they plan to hack Westboro's websites Bad miscalculation, girls!” said the letter. “Let us tell you how this will go: rebels will build a full head of steam based on false hope; the media will predictably do much breathless anticipating while giving another tsunami of coverage to Westboro's message; God will defeat your council; your efforts will fail.” This is obviously BS. You're getting trolled slashdot.
Anonymous isn't a defined group of people. That's kinda the point. It's very possible that some of them, or even a single person, has severe enough of a problem with the WBC to try to attempt such a stunt. I suspect however that the vast majority have the good sense not to get involved with something so senseless.
Similarly, Anonymous can't "issue a statement" that represents the entire group. This AnonNews website, whoever they are, have no more say in the doings and actions of Anonymous than any other member of the group. Can the SlashDot staff make claims on behalf of every nerd who happens to visit the site for technology-related news, especially on things in which the SlashDot community is deeply divided? Of course not. Same thing here.
This whole thing is freaking ridiculous. You've got two groups of trolls trying to figure out who's attempting to troll whom, and if said trolling is a threat to their own trolling efforts. Why exactly this is considered news is beyond me.
this is the nutcase church of the inbred Phelpses, after all. if we all ignore these coocoos, they will go away to whatever fire and brimstone meets them for not loving their enemy, and their neighbor, as thyself.
hopefully, that would also apply to the MRs in the domain registry routers, as well ;)
if this is supposed to be a new economy, how come they still want my old fashioned money?
Every time an article comes on here about Anon everybody bashes the news organizations for saying Anonymous has a hierarchy with 'senior' members, leaders, and so forth.
So why are you so quick to accept this? How can this press release saying 'Its not really us' carry any more weight then one saying "It's us".
Your hair look like poop, Bob! - Wanker.
This is the problem with having a group like anonymous. Anyone can claim to be "it". Frankly it's starting to seem pretty silly to me, and nothing I would even take seriously at this point.
Not DDoS WestBoro Our riposte - http://anonnews.org/?p=press&a=item&i=494 >>What to actually do: http://anonnews.org/?p=press&a=item&i=492 >>> READ: http://goo.gl/fwaLG
MilkMiruku
Anyone could claim they spoke for anonymous. How do you verify it? Thing is, someone threw out the idea of targeting WBC, and a lot of people agreed that they were being enough of a dick to warrant becoming their next target. Anonymous must have some trouble filtering the real messages from random spam out there.
Starbucks, Harbuckle of Breath.
I heard they have scientific proof that god exists. it's on their website. Somewhere. I'm sure. If we all look for it for about 5 or 10 minutes I'm sure we'll find it.
Privacy is terrorism.
Anonymous state they're too busy now to bother with these clowns, but I wouldn't be surprised if something nasty happened to the individuals behind the WBC in the future.
It's the same principle as the HBGary story -- you don't poke a wasp's nest with a stick.
More than likely the first letter was sent by a single /b/tard hoping to start a shitstorm, and then the rest of the mob saw this as an opportunity to troll WBC by pretending that WBC sent the letter themselves to look for attention instead.
Nothing in the article linked provides evidence that backs up Slashdots claim of "It turns out that this was a publicity stunt staged by WBC themselves.". While the hackers deny they are involved in this, there is simply not evidence one way or another. I would hope Slashdot would be more careful and write that the hackers *claim* that it was a publicity stunt.
Last week: We have no leadership, we do whatever floats our boat whenever we want! You can never catch us bitches!
This week: Our leadership has declared that we will not attack WBC...
Result? Of course there is a "leadership" in Anonymous. Of course there are more respected members who have a greater say in the group's dynamics, perhaps even control of a large portion of the group's decision making.
Anonymous may be composed of many transient, do-it-on-a-whim, disillusioned "internet children"... but they are being manipulated by a small group of members pushing a consistent agenda. Not much different than a typical political organization. Except Anonymous blatantly ignores and violates International laws (as opposed to the political organizations that secretly do so or the few that abide by the laws.)
The people at Westover are just loudmouth jerks. It's the seriously fringe nutcases at Landover Baptist who worry me.
Every time an article comes on here about Anon everybody bashes the news organizations for saying Anonymous has a hierarchy with 'senior' members, leaders, and so forth.
So why are you so quick to accept this? How can this press release saying 'Its not really us' carry any more weight then one saying "It's us".
Oh really? Meaning Westboro Church can do a publicity grab and play victim, and there is no one able to set things straight, BY DEFINITION?
Does the nonsense that is Anonymous begin to appear a bit clearer now?
Next are rogue attacks against banks or some vital institutions so that repressive legislation can be pushed through... Oh wait...
Unfunny. I'd mod you a troll if I had points left over.
while(1) attack(People.Sandy);
fine, i'll bite: landover is satire, guy.
Just because you are not paranoid does not mean they are not out to get you.
How can anonymous deny anything ?
The Wise adapts himself to the world. The Fool adapts the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the Fool.
But since anyone can act as Anonymous then the WBC claim was legit. I can put up a server, make myself a part of Anonymous, attempt to hack my server, leave Anonymous, then claim Anonymous tried to hack my server.
Well, yes and no.
Yes, you could do all of the above. And yes, you could make those claims. And yes, the press would probably pick up the story and run with it as written.
But No, it would not be Anonymous proper. And they would know it. And you would be in some serious deep shit. Anonymous is a community. Like any community, if you're in it, you know who else is in it. The two guys at the party who know the secret handshake.
WBC just tried this and it didn't work. So No, they will not get a horde of newfags bombing their server so they can countersue and make money and continue their nonsense that way.
But something tasty will happen - rest assured of that. Something will happen. It will require a measure of elegance that the mob cannot deliver. Because that's what they want. No. It will be something subtle and untraceable, done with the skill of a surgeon and the quiet stealth of a butterfly.
The most brilliant pranksters on the planet Earth have now been aroused. Remember WBC, when it happens, you DID ask for it.
Weaselmancer
rediculous.
Why would anonymous want to attack the only group more vocal in their IRL trolling? It doesn't make sense. While anonymous doesn't agree with WBC, they respect their rights to be giant obnoxious d-bags to everyone and anyone.
Anonymous doesn't "speak" they act.
How can a group who's only weapon is the DDoS attack claim to support freedom of speech?
Um, does that work? No, wait, in soviet church, Westboro . . . no, that's still not right . . .
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If you think they're not genius viral marketers, you haven't been paying attention to how you heard of them or why you know what they claim to stand for or why TV covers them when they're standing out there with signs. They're not just dumb bigots, they're a sociopathic family of lawyers, who go out and make themselves as publicly offensive as they can, so that people will attack them and towns will ban them and they can make money by sueing them. They're also happy to get donations from actual knuckle-draggers and from right-wing politicians who profit from the Culture Wars, but it's really about the lawsuits and the publicity.
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It was probably written by Westboro themselves to get some publicity.
So one group of attention whores used another group of attention whores. There's an Apple-like simplicity and elegance to the whole scheme.
Life is hard, and the world is cruel
It's not like AnonNews announced they traced the IP address of the poster back to the WBC. Sure. It could have been them. It could also have been just about anyone who has a beef with the WBC. Many people are chomping at the bit to take them down and have tried to recruit 'Anonymous' to do this. But they haven't been successful in the past. For all we know it was the folks from HBGary trying to pick a fight between the two groups to provide ground cover. But again, that is still nothing more than idle speculation.
I don't think Anons will ever do anything against the WBC just because they have no power. WBC may be annoying assholes. But at the end of the day that is all they are. They can pretty much only offend people who allow themselves to be offended.
Exactly. The WBC is like a lone mosquito buzzing about. Very annoying and might cause you some minor irritation, but in the long run nothing to put a ton of effort into catching. There are other groups out there that are much larger threats.
That said, there are times when the WBC makes it very hard to be a defender of Freedom of Speech.
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These "Anonymous" folks are all over this thread!
p.s.... Just want to ensure Anonymous knows it was Taco, not us, that labeled you Cowards!
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...and I belong to no group, I have no structure, and I follow no leader in particular.
I can be, and I am, anybody and everybody who ever acts anonymously, isn't that the whole point of being anonymous?
..How does one member or group of members of Anonymous know whether or not any other part of Anonymous is/was doing something?
Once you upgrade to a 4chan Gold account it becomes really clear. Thats how you meet up with other anons and connect to the hive mind. I havent paid my dues in quite a while tho...
Tm
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“When Anonymous says we support free speech, we mean it. We count Beatrice Hall among our Anonymous forebears: ‘I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.’ "
What the hell? How does DDOSing credit card services and trying to bring down Amazon not contradict this belief? If they believe so much in freedom of speech, then they would support the actions of companies who chose not to support Wikileaks.
Nothing stops you from pulling over a truck loaded with amplifiers and a concert grade sound system and blasting WBC's eardrums at their next protest.
You could do them one better you can turn the volume up so much that the only thing being heard is you rebutting them point by point.
Anyone who gives any regard to the silly puppet of the priesthood on his bloody crossed control sticks is a fool and needs a lesson in basic science and logic.
disregard that, I suck cocks.
That would be like the Amish having one...
That is exactly what I thought at first.
At second thought, it was 'why would Anonymous even bother with replying to an obvious troll?'
Third thought was to suspect some third party as the instigator in this.
I don't know, by nature[theoretically] Anonymous is, well, anonymous, and has nothing to fear from WBC, thus should have no interest in any opinion that WBC has to offer, but there is the 'street cred/e-peen' POV to consider for Anonymous.
The more I think about it, the more I'm torn between taking sides with Anonymous, and a third-party 'stirring the mud-puddle'.
Down With Slashdot BETA!!! I've been around the corner and seen the oliphant; you can only abuse me from your perspecti
Can Slashdot please stop greenlighting things about Anonymous. Unless they incite world war III, I really don't think anything they do is news worthy.
Who in their right mind after attacking HBGary carry out another cyber assault? It garners unwanted attention for a group who prides itself on anonymity.
Sounds like the plot to Pacific Heights. I didn't really like that movie just because it sounded too plausible, like too many people would run out and try it.
They can call themselves whatever they want, but Westboro Baptist Church is completely independant, and not associated with any known Baptist associations, and their actions and views are not shared or endorsed by any Baptist association or church. And as they promote certain political views from the pulpit, technically they cannot qualify for tax exemptions for being a church.
In response to the article, quite frankly, I am actually surprised no one ever has DDoSed the site.
In fact, I cannot even access their page from work at a government subcontractor - the site is categorized as being Violent and Hate Speech
I'm all for letting wackos and lunatics say whatever things they want in a free society, but one particularly loathsome tactic employed by WBC has been to disrupt the funerals of US military personnel. To parents who lost a son in an unpopular war, it isn't very realistic to expect that they shouldn't "allow themselves to be offended" when the WBC shows up spewing vile hatred.
FTA ". . . this was a publicity stunt staged by WBC themselves."
"You did WHAT in my name?" -- Jesus
"I believe in Karma. That means I can do bad things to people all day long and I assume they deserve it." : Dogbert
Who's on first?
An attack by Anonymous never made much sense to begin with. It's not like WBC has this huge network of computer assets to attack - they're, what, about 5 people? I doubt that shutting down their multi-function printer/scanner/fax machine would really faze them much.
I doubt any individuals or really small groups have much to fear from Anonymous, as the results Anonymous could obtain would be pretty meager compared to the amount of effort required.
The government is trying to tarnish this groups rep any way they can....even going so far as to declare such attacks against groups that have no real value for Anonymous, nice one there gov.....next we will hear that Anonymous attacked an old lady, ran off with her purse just to make a statement!