Hacktivists get ready to occupy
6 Jun 2012 7:15 AM GMT
Their twitter account was suspended and they were simply called 'hackers' on goverment sites, but this band of 'hacktivists' #TANGODOWN defaced site after site to protest Internet censorship.
Simply calling themselves Anonymous – no names and no faces, just the Guy Fawkes mask in place – they left an interesting message on official web site of the Trinamool Congress: 'Citizens of India, This site was hacked to protest internet censorship. For the past few days we have been protesting internet censorship in India by taking down India government websites and any site that supports the blocking of file sharing websites. It is time you wake up to the nightmare that is your government! It is time you stand up for what is right. Do not let your government censor you! It is time for you to take charge. It is time you say “Enough is enough”. It is time we end this cycle of corruption. Expect revolution, Expect Us.'
The Standardisation Testing and Quality Certification (STQC) and website Internet Service Providers Association of India (ISPAI) were hit as well with a massive DDoS atttack. ISPAI includes 47 Internet service providers. like Airtel, Aircel, Hathway, In2cable, Pacenet, etc. Big Cinemas, CERT, Reliance ISP, BJP Mumbai, BJP Madhya Pradesh, Goodgov.in and the Department of Telecommunication were all a part of that long list of 35 sites that Anonymous picked. The Big Cinemas site contained credit card information of its customers and could have been used by hacktivists, but that was not their plan.
The whole agenda of defacing the sites was to send a message to the government that they were wrong in censoring of sites like Isohunt, The Pirate Bay, Vimeo and Pastebin. The bigger message of refusing to be patrolled by the government was in sight and the hacktivists wanted their suspended Twitter account back. The defacement served as a warning to one and all that they have been amply warned and the ethical government hackers are no match to Anonymous.
The official Twitter account of this faceless team was pulled off on 23 May after they successfully hacked 35 web sites and come 29 May, the suspended #OpIndia account @opindia_revenge was back.
Coming perhaps with the V for Vendetta logic, the people should not be afraid of the government, the government should be afraid of its people, the hacktivists have promised a peaceful protest in various cities across the country on 9 June.
Anonymous wants the people to make their own choices, know the laws and use it to parole information the right way. When this reporter asked the group in a web chat about the logic behind their protest, the hacktivists said that censoring them would only increase the curiosity, and it is human nature to want to know exactly what you are supposed to not know. They want to contest the Intermediary Guidelines' Rules that have been in effect since April 2011 and also demand annullment of Section 69 of the amended IT Act, passed in 2008, which allows anyone to censor any material from the Internet within 36 hours, even if it is not illegal in India. This rule does not give the owner of the web site any chance to object and does not let the government and the public to know what content has been censored on what web sites.
While the Anonymous have pulling down more sites on the cards, they want to keep the Big Brothers on the toes. The public will not be harmed under any circumstance, they argue. They have planned peaceful protests at different venues in India on 9 June, with strict instructions to protestors not to clash with the police. In Delhi, the protest is scheduled at the India Gate at 5 pm.
Simply calling themselves Anonymous – no names and no faces, just the Guy Fawkes mask in place – they left an interesting message on official web site of the Trinamool Congress: 'Citizens of India, This site was hacked to protest internet censorship. For the past few days we have been protesting internet censorship in India by taking down India government websites and any site that supports the blocking of file sharing websites. It is time you wake up to the nightmare that is your government! It is time you stand up for what is right. Do not let your government censor you! It is time for you to take charge. It is time you say “Enough is enough”. It is time we end this cycle of corruption. Expect revolution, Expect Us.'
The Standardisation Testing and Quality Certification (STQC) and website Internet Service Providers Association of India (ISPAI) were hit as well with a massive DDoS atttack. ISPAI includes 47 Internet service providers. like Airtel, Aircel, Hathway, In2cable, Pacenet, etc. Big Cinemas, CERT, Reliance ISP, BJP Mumbai, BJP Madhya Pradesh, Goodgov.in and the Department of Telecommunication were all a part of that long list of 35 sites that Anonymous picked. The Big Cinemas site contained credit card information of its customers and could have been used by hacktivists, but that was not their plan.
The whole agenda of defacing the sites was to send a message to the government that they were wrong in censoring of sites like Isohunt, The Pirate Bay, Vimeo and Pastebin. The bigger message of refusing to be patrolled by the government was in sight and the hacktivists wanted their suspended Twitter account back. The defacement served as a warning to one and all that they have been amply warned and the ethical government hackers are no match to Anonymous.
The official Twitter account of this faceless team was pulled off on 23 May after they successfully hacked 35 web sites and come 29 May, the suspended #OpIndia account @opindia_revenge was back.
Coming perhaps with the V for Vendetta logic, the people should not be afraid of the government, the government should be afraid of its people, the hacktivists have promised a peaceful protest in various cities across the country on 9 June.
Anonymous wants the people to make their own choices, know the laws and use it to parole information the right way. When this reporter asked the group in a web chat about the logic behind their protest, the hacktivists said that censoring them would only increase the curiosity, and it is human nature to want to know exactly what you are supposed to not know. They want to contest the Intermediary Guidelines' Rules that have been in effect since April 2011 and also demand annullment of Section 69 of the amended IT Act, passed in 2008, which allows anyone to censor any material from the Internet within 36 hours, even if it is not illegal in India. This rule does not give the owner of the web site any chance to object and does not let the government and the public to know what content has been censored on what web sites.
While the Anonymous have pulling down more sites on the cards, they want to keep the Big Brothers on the toes. The public will not be harmed under any circumstance, they argue. They have planned peaceful protests at different venues in India on 9 June, with strict instructions to protestors not to clash with the police. In Delhi, the protest is scheduled at the India Gate at 5 pm.
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