NATO Report Threatens To 'Persecute' Anonymous 388
Stoobalou writes "NATO leaders have been warned that Wikileaks-loving 'hacktivist' collective Anonymous could pose a threat to member states' security, following recent attacks on the US Chamber of Commerce and defence contractor HBGary — and promise to 'persecute' its members."
From the article: "In a toughly-worded draft report to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, General Rapporteur Lord Jopling claims that the loose-knit, leaderless group is 'becoming more and more sophisticated,' and 'could potentially hack into sensitive government, military, and corporate files.'"
Great idea! (Score:3, Insightful)
Because that's worked great against al-Qaida. Ten years and we finally caught/killed the closest thing to a leader they have and the war still continues.
Anonymous had no real leader or command structure. Pursuing this course of action would be a huge waste of time/money and only rile up a bee's nest that loves to fight back when provoked.
Good luck with that (Score:3, Insightful)
I am Spartacus!
Acts of War (Score:5, Insightful)
Oh. When we saw the story the other day that the US had declared that hacking and similar online attacks could be considered acts of war, I didn't understand the purpose of such a statement. Now I understand.
I think we might be seeing the start of America's next war on a general concept.
Any bets as to what the target will be stated as? Anonymity? The Internet in general?
Re:Persecuting your own citizens (Score:5, Insightful)
Hey, NATO,
What's the matter? You've been telling us for years that if we didn't do anything wrong, there's no need for privacy. Welcome to our world.
Sincerely,
Everyone
"The tighter you grip ... (Score:4, Insightful)
... the more systems will slip through your fingers."
Re:Acts of War (Score:5, Insightful)
It will be a war not fought to be won, but to be sustained; sustaining the military-industrial-security complex.
Anyone can be a suspect.
Re:"The tighter you grip ... (Score:4, Insightful)
"... the more you risk a serious chafing and subsequent desensitization of the glans, leading to increased frictional requirements, leading to a tighter grip in a terrible downward spiral that ends up with something that resembles a hot dog stricken with leprosy. "
Translation (Score:5, Insightful)
Translation: we now have a convenient bogeyman to use as an excuse to exercise greater control over the masses.
Re:What if? (Score:3, Insightful)
Governments should be afraid of their people (Score:5, Insightful)
I can only hope that Anonymous exceeds their expectations. Right now, it looks like they think Anonymous is a threat they can crush. I dearly hope that it isn't. My government should be quaking in its boots at the thought of angering a significant minority of those it governs. "Government by consent of the governed." has meant far too little for far too long.
Re:Persecuting your own citizens (Score:5, Insightful)
No, no, no, you misunderstood me. If the NATO member nations were doing nothing wrong, then they would have no need for privacy, and thus by their own logic, the actions of anonymous are ethical and reasonable.
Re:Good luck with that (Score:2, Insightful)
I am Spartacus!
Man, that movie would've been a lot funnier if they just started slaughtering every smartass who spoke up just to teach the rest a lesson.
Wait, did I say "funnier"? Sorry, I meant "more true to what would actually happen if there was anything like this demonic evil fascist dictatorship going on that everyone keeps talking about".
Re:good luck (Score:2, Insightful)
I think they're fishing for information, trying to observe a reaction. If NATO really wanted to go after Anonymous, it would IMHO be a strategic blunder: The whole point of Anonymous is their asymmetric approach. Not only that, but NATO doesn't even have superiority online. Another more likely scenario is that NATO wants to extend its mandate and uses Anonymous as an example "cyber" threat. I mean, who wants to guarantee that Anonymous isn't a false flag operation in the first place?
just following orders (Score:5, Insightful)
His handlers should let the cat out of the bag and accept the kudos they deserve. Talk about bang for the buck!