anonymous

The Federal Communications Commission wants to know what the public has to say about government officials asking carriers to disable cell service for public safety purposes. The agency's concern is a reaction to last year's cutting of service by San Francisco Bay Area subway police ahead of a protest.

"Our democracy, our society, and our safety all require communications networks that are available and open, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said in a statement. "Any interruption of wireless services raises serious legal and policy issues, and must meet a very high bar. The FCC, as the agency … Read more

Anonymous continued its ongoing attack on agricultural biotech giant Monsanto today by publishing an outdated database of the company's material. This is the newest in a barrage of strikes from hackers aligned with Anonymous who operate under the "AntiSec" banner.

In a statement posted with the database on a Pastebin site, the hacktivist group wrote it was aware that exposing the database would not do much harm to Monsanto but warned it would continue to target the company for what it sees as wrong.

"Your continued attack on the worlds food supply, as well as the … Read more

Twenty-five suspected members of the online activist group Anonymous have been arrested in sweeps across Europe and South America, the international police agency Interpol said today.

The sweep, dubbed "Operation Unmask," was in response to coordinated cyberattacks against government, political, and corporate Web sites in Colombia and Chile, Interpol said. The suspects, whose ages range from 17 to 40, were arrested in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Spain.

"This operation shows that crime in the virtual world does have real consequences for those involved, and that the Internet cannot be seen as a safe haven for criminal activity, … Read more

The Anonymous online activists do keep themselves busy. When they're not defacing Web sites to protest the for-profit prison system or shutting down the public CIA site they're listening in as Scotland Yard and the FBI discuss how to catch them and having a good laugh.

This week, they've ratcheted things up even more by working with WikiLeaks to publish secret stolen e-mails that shine some light on what appear to be the inner workings of Stratfor, a global intelligence firm that seems to have paid informants to monitor, among other things, human rights and environmental activists … Read more

Is one of the biggest digital rabble-rousers about to go legit?

Not quite, but Anonymous, the hacktivist collective that's been on a months-long rampage breaking into corporate and government networks, says it will partner with the Occupy movement to urge people to vote in the November elections.

The activist group today announced a new joint effort to hold politicians accountable to the people.

"Last year, many of our elected officials let us down by giving in to deep-pocketed lobbyists and passing laws meant to boost corporate profits at the expense of individual liberty," the groups said in … Read more

Hackers aligned with the Anonymous group of online activists defaced today the Web site of a major contractor operating detention facilities, calling the move a protest of the for-profit prison system, which, they said, benefits from stricter laws and more arrests.

The home page for the Geo Group's Web site was inaccessible this afternoon after it had had been replaced with an image of imprisoned activist Mumia Abu-Jamal and audio of a song about him, according to news site RT.com.

Phone messages left by CNET at the Geo Group headquarters in Boca Raton, Fla., were not returned late … Read more

week in review With an eye on protecting consumers' privacy while online, the White House and the Federal Trade Communications unveiled the "Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights," which will serve as a policy outline for future legislation and public policy.

The administration also worked with online advertising associations, such as the Digital Advertising Alliance and others, to revive "Do Not Track" technology and best practices. This technology will allow consumers to change settings in their browsers to notify advertisers that they do not wish to be tracked as they move from Web site to Web site … Read more

Links from Wednesday's episode of Loaded:

Anonymous has so far plied its trade in "hactivist" exploits. But according to the director of the National Security Agency, it might soon turn its focus to U.S. infrastructure.

According to the Wall Street Journal, citing sources, Gen. Keith Alexander has said in private meetings at the White House and elsewhere that the U.S. must keep a close eye on Anonymous' growth. He reportedly warned that if the organization continues to gain power, it might even take down a part of the U.S. power grid within the next couple of years.

How serious might such … Read more