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Anonymous Releases 90,000 Military E-Mail Accounts
jjp9999 writes "Anonymous Operations posted 90,000 military email addresses and passwords to the Pirate Bay on July 11, in what they're calling 'Military Meltdown Monday.' They obtained the emails while hacking government contracting and consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton. They hinted at other information obtained during the breach, which they describe as 'maps and keys for various other treasure chests buried on the islands of government agencies, federal contractors and shady whitehat companies.' The breach comes just days after Anonymous hacked government contractor IRC Federal. Both breaches are linked to the new AntiSec movement, which LulzSec joined forces with shortly before disbanding."
I don't think I'll be grabbing that torrent...
Anonymous has an agenda. That's fine. Originally they were after Scientology. If they've shifted focus, I have no problem with that. If they're trying to become another Wikileaks and expose government wrongdoing, that also makes sense.
What I don't understand is the wholesale posting of email addresses and passwords. What are they trying to accomplish? Military or not, these are email addresses of real people. This is no longer a crusade against "bad guys" whoever they may be, or even against bad activities. This is now a crusade against privacy. You know, the concept that keeps Anonymous, well, anonymous.
If we use exactly the same standard that they use to judge what should be public information, then the names, email addresses, and passwords of everyone who calls himself/herself Anonymous should be public as well.
Not as ironic as Standard & Poor's.
The obvious logical fallacy with your statement is that, just because other regimes may be evil and corrupt, it does not mean that the US is not.
How does releasing email addresses and passwords aid the fight for good and thwart evildoers?
If LulzSec/Anonymous can do it, so can our enemies and allies.
The fact that these guys are so prolific and haven't been caught yet, strongly implies that others have done the same thing.
And probably gotten away with it because they didn't announce it to the world.
The fact is, this will go on for as long as LulzSec/Anonymous feels like doing it.
Between government agencies and contractors, there's just too much low hanging fruit.
BUT, all things being equal, I'd rather it was blackhats humiliating us in public instead of China silently doing it for economic gain or espionage.
[Fuck Beta]
o0t!
Hmm... odd, I live in a country not too different from what you describe. We have "free" health care (read: I pay for it with my taxes), we have one of the lowest crime rates in the western world, unemployment is manageable (and you can actually survive on your unemployment aid), I am looking at 4 weeks of paid vacation (mandatory, not 'cause I am so incredibly qualified that I can afford asking for it), 2 extra salaries per year (mandatory again), my retirement is taken care for (again, taxes)... yet I do not pay 120% taxes or can't get any goods in our stores because nobody wants to produce or sell anything here. Odd, ain't it?
And know what? While the economy crisis did hit my country too, it didn't hit it by any kind of margin as hard as it did hit the US or other countries that subscribed to the ideal of "letting the market sort crap out". Why? Because people here actually do have money to buy crap. More to the point, to buy services. And since my country, like most of the "civilized" world, depend heavily on services for its GDP, our economy is still fairly stable. Services is the first thing people cut back when money is tight. A haircut? Put that off another few weeks. Fix the plumbing? Hell, let that faucet drip. Go out for dinner or the pub? Rather cook at home or watch the game with friends in your living room. That's what crippled the economy in most other countries, because people lack the MONEY to buy those services. You cannot cut back on food. You have to eat. You cannot cut back on your rent, you have to squat somewhere. But you can cut back on "vanity" like haircuts, repairs or a night on the town. We didn't have to. We still got money in the pockets of our working class people.
So please, keep your perfect system. I like the US, the dollar's weaker than a chocolate coin in the hot summer sun and that means I get to buy cheap electronics with my, despite all odds, fairly stable currency.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.