So whats the deal with this group of hackers "anonymous"

I always see these videos like the one below, on how they are plotting the destruction of the world through the internet, in the video below the good stuff starts at 3:40.


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Is this just a bunch of self important nerds who are trying to pretend they are bad ass, or is there actually some organised group out there that exists, and is making an active attempt to screw the government through the internet?

I just read this story on the link below on drudge, which is why i bring it up. I dont believe any of these conspiracy theories, im just curious about what the deal is with these guys.

http://gizmodo.com/5877679/anonymous-kills-department-of-justice-site-in-megaupload-revenge-strike

Anonymous Goes on Megaupload Revenge Spree: DoJ, RIAA, MPAA, and Universal Music All Offline
Anonymous has sure been quiet lately, but today's federal bust of Megaupload riled 'em up good: a retaliatory strike against DoJ.gov (and plenty of other foes) leaving them completely dead.
DownForEveryoneOrJustMe.com is reporting the department's site as universally nuked, and an Anonymous-affiliated Twitter account is boasting success. This is almost certainly the result of a quickly-assembled DDoS attack—and easily the widest in scope and ferocity we've seen in some time. If you had any doubts Anonymous is still a hacker wrecking ball, doubt no more.

The combination of the hacking nebula's SOPA animosity—they've been a vocal opponent of the bill since its inception—combined with today's sudden Megaupload news has made the group bubble over: hundreds upon hundreds of Anon operatives are in a plotting frenzy, chatting about which site will go down next. In Anon's eyes, the government and media interests are responsible for the undue destruction of Megaupload (and the arrest of four of its operators), so it'll be exactly those entities that're feeling the pain right now. Pretty much every company that makes movies, TV, or music, along with the entirety of the federal government, is in Anonymous' crosshairs.

Update: Anonymous says they've also knocked off the RIAA's site—looks down for us at the moment as well.

Update 2: Universal Music Group has also fallen off an e-cliff.

Update 3: Goodbye for now, MPAA.org.

Update 4: Affected sites are bouncing in and out of life, and are at the very least super slow to load. Anon agents are currently trying to coordinate their DDoS attacks in the same direction via IRC.

Update 5: The US Copyright Office joins the list.

Update 6: This Anon sums up the mood in their "official" chat room at the moment:

Danzu: STOP EVERYTHING, who are we DoSing right now?

Update 7: Russian news service RT claims this is the largest coordinated attack in Anonymous' history—over 5,600 DDoS zealots blasting at once.

Update 8: the Anonymous DDoS planning committee is chittering so quickly, it's making my laptop fan spin.

Update 9: Major record label EMI is down for the count.

Update 10: La résistance est international—French copyright authority HADOPI bites the dust under Anon pressure.

Update 11: The Federal Bureau of Investigation has fallen and can't get up.

Update 12: Anonymous has released a statement about today's attacks.

 

or is there actually some organised group out there that exists, and is making an active attempt to screw the government through the internet?

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Ehhh.. Imo, the whole "movement" is similiar to using a restroom in a Federal building and pluggin up a toilet with a roll of toilet paper.You get some satisfaction for clogging up the works but there's plenty more toilets to plug.

It cost mucho dinero to "hack" notwithstanding corraling the mental horsepower. Hackers are like fucking muscians,(sleep late, never show up, change bands, change names- "dude, it's a gig") they live in a different world.

Then ya got your different genres of hackers, the ones who muck up the system for advertising purposes ie, spammers(imo, again playiing games against the corporate demographic collectors)

then ya got your "for money" identity theft scammers -nothing to see here, move along, just old fashioned but high tech "robbers' of of the cops and robbers genre.

Then ya got your subversives, spy vs spy.....hackers....but like I said before, these guys need lots and lots of money to run servers, etc and there is not really a safe place in the world to "hide" from the "man" even if they have unlimited fundiing.

Of course this is just my take on hackers. Should Joe the Plumber be concerned? Joe the Plumber should get his MBA and get busy cashing in on the clogged toilets down at the Fed building,... seriously..

 

LOL, laughed pretty hard at this, good analysis.

 

From what research I've done on 'Anon', it seems as if it was certainly started by a close knit group, and many of them are still involved with the only portion of the movement able to claim the authority to act in the name of the group. It is sort of interesting that way. There are almost two types of Anon members. 1) The respectable, talented, cause driven types and 2) The wannabes who are really not all that talented and just like to cause trouble and expand their skill set.

Much like in the book "The Wave", there are many others who've jumped on the Anon group name to be able to identify with a group that gives them a more organized sense of purpose. Many of these people are of a much lower skill set, and don't contribute much to the legitimate operations, other than moral support in chat rooms and spreading the word.

The main group many times has a very respectable purpose. They are against restrictions on freedom of information of any kind. So they will organize an attack on any government or entity that tries to limit free speech, information, etc.. They are much more controlled and smarter about how they operate than the others who are just along for the ride. But they have a pretty significant problem sometime. There are many non-sanctioned missions carrying the 'Anon' name, and there are a ton of spin-off groups. Generally these groups are much more wreckless and less respectable in the types of missions they take on. This gives the actual Anon group a worse reputation than they might otherwise deserve.

 

Just a brief blurb that I don't think has been covered here.

These people hang out in the IRC rooms. If you've never been to the IRC chat rooms then you have never been to the dark underbelly of the Internet. The IRC evolved back when the Internet was in it's infancy - almost a secret level for rough and tumble high tech users and those who infest the darkest nooks and cranies of the Internet. It used to take special software to visit these rooms but some websites can now take you into the world of the IRC chat room through your browser.

These rooms exist for anonymous discussion and direct file sharing on various topics. They have always been the domain of the Internet hacker and pirate. Some rooms are open to the public, others are not. Some users can read all other user's posts, others cannot. Often one must be invited to be able to enter a room.

It's not unlike visiting the smoke filled opium dens of the orient. As an outsider you fear for your life and hope you don't run into an open room guarded by an enforcer. The lure of suspense and intrigue hangs thick in the air. Rumor is that some have entered the world of the IRC to never be seen again. Watch your back if you decide to venture in.

 

The krappy companies that distribute music have always made the kiddies buy a whole album to get just the one song they like. Steve Jobs convinced them that he should sell songs one at a time. Now Apple is the biggest distributor of music. Next are the cable companies, do I want to pay them for one of their bundles when all I want is one or two shows? The old, dying, business philosophies always buy some politicians to try to keep on going. Basically they are fighting against the new technology that has already swept the whole world into a new regime almost without them being aware of it.. Anonymous is just there to tell them to wake up and smell the coffee in terms that they can understand...