Anonymous: serious threat or mere annoyance?

Anonymous originates from the 4chan. org message board, an ‘anything goes’ website that allows users to post images and comments without registering. They can use names (any names) or they can post without identifying themselves, in which case the posting is labelled ‘Anonymous’. The site became a rallying point for a series of (mostly juvenile) pranks and campaigns. Before the Wikileaks-related activities, Anonymous was best known for Operation Payback in which it attacked the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and other organisations connected with copyright protection and music and software anti-piracy efforts. The anti-copyright activities of Operation Payback continue to this day, in a somewhat spasmodic manner. The group then gained considerable notoriety for its attacks on the Church of Scientology with ‘Project Chanology’.1 Critics (and even some supporters) of Anonymous considered this campaign a mistake, as it enabled the Church of Scientology to claim religious persecution, while the damage caused was minimal. The ‘church’ moved quickly to protect itself from the Anonymous activities by switching hosts and employing the services of Prolexic – a specialist in mitigating DDoS attacks.2 Two members of Anonymous were subsequently jailed for taking part in the attacks.3