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Tag: Anonymous

  • Kristiana Coignard: ‘Anonymous’ Threatens Retaliation After Teen Gunned Down in Police Station

    Kristiana Coignard’s shooting death by police officers has one group ready to retaliate.

    The online hacker group “Anonymous,” which famously retaliates after police shootings, including the Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson, Missouri, last year, has promised to seek vengeance on behalf of 17-year-old Kristiana Coignard, who was shot in a Longview, Texas police station lobby last Thursday, allegedly by police officers.

    According to the Inquisitr, Kristiana Coignard was killed in mysterious circumstances after she reportedly walked into the Longview police station lobby, used a courtesy phone and asked to speak with an officer.

    “When Officers arrived they were confronted by a white female who threatened them,” according to the Longview Police Facebook page. “The suspect brandished a weapon, made threatening movements toward the officers and was shot.”

    Kristiana Coignard was reportedly shot “multiple times” by as many as three officers. She was pronounced dead at the hospital after being transported there following the shooting.

    Post by Longview Police Department.

    Post by Longview Police Department.

    Police have yet to release existing video or audio of the incident and little is known about what happened, apart from the statement released by police.

    On Saturday, a YouTube video was posted on an account allegedly affiliated with Anonymous threatening to seek some sort of revenge.

    “We ask you Longview police department are you happy with the choice of how the actions taken be your officer? We ask you what kind of people you hire as a police officer that can’t take a knife from a small 17 year old girl?” the group wrote on the AnonSec 101 YouTube page. “We ask you why are your officer’s carrying tazors (sic) if they will only reach for their guns first? A firefighter will endanger their life and enter a burning building for the POSSIBILITY of saving a life, a lifeguard will risk drowning, for the possibility to save a life. A COP, will kill you OR a 10 year old child because you POSSIBLY could have caused them harm.”

    In fact, the group claims they have already attacked the city’s website. However, there has been no confirmation by city officials that any cyber attack has occurred.

    “Trust us when we say we wouldn’t have made this video if we knew the op wouldn’t be a success, we did make our statement, the site was down last night then the attack halted, then earlier today we started the attack again, it lasted awhile, then they finally decided to patch their security, lulz.”

    The Texas Rangers are investigating the shooting incident of Kristiana Coignard.

  • Anonymous Takes Aim at North Korea After Sony Hack; George Clooney, Sean Penn Pile On

    When Sony Pictures first found its email and other networked systems compromised, it looked like another hacker prank. Emails were leaked, unreleased movies were set free on file sharing sites, and embarrassing inside info made its way to headlines.

    But the world soon learned that it looked like the hack was the work of an official government cyberattack. As bizarre as it sounds, North Korea was angry about an upcoming Seth Rogen-James Franco comedy movie in which the pair kills North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.

    The Interview is not the first film released in America to poke fun at or portray North Korea and its leadership as villainous. Team America did it. The Red Dawn remake did it. North Korea has become the megalomaniac villain go-to in Hollywood when jihadi terrorists are just too real to portray. They are the old Soviet Red Tide of yesteryear.

    But for some reason North Korea seems to have taken particular exception to Rogen and Franco in The Interview. So — if the official story is to be believed — they hacked Sony and threatened to bomb theaters that showed The Interview. So Sony pulled the movie.

    Now hacktivist group Anonymous — insomuch as such a construction can be called a “group” — is declaring an “operation” against North Korea. Anonymous “members” have shown their hacking acumen in the past, and they now vow to bring that to bear against North Korea in retaliation for the Sony hack.

    Exactly what they plan to do has not been outlined in detail. But Anonymous may be able to bring considerable muscle to bear on the country.

    Other reactions around the country seems to follow the same theme: The mighty U.S.A. should not capitulate to a snot-nosed joke like North Korea, not over matters of national security, not over international finance issues, and not even over some silly movie.

    George Clooney was vocal about his opinion on what this development could mean for businesses all over the United States.

    “Here, we’re talking about an actual country deciding what content we’re going to have. This affects not just movies, this affects every part of business that we have. That’s the truth. What happens if a newsroom decides to go with a story, and a country or an individual or corporation decides they don’t like it? Forget the hacking part of it. You have someone threaten to blow up buildings, and all of a sudden everybody has to bow down.

    “We have a new paradigm, a new reality, and we’re going to have to come to real terms with it all the way down the line. Because this could happen to an electric company, a car company, a newsroom. It could happen to anybody.”

    Clooney points out that this hacking was not just about some silly movie. North Korea showed that they were able and willing to realease potentially damaging information about American citizens.

    “The hacking is terrible because of the damage they did to all those people. Their medical records, that is a horrible thing, their Social Security numbers. Then, to turn around and threaten to blow people up and kill people, and just by that threat alone we change what we do for a living, that’s the actual definition of terrorism.”

    Clooney even acknowledges that there was a strategy to how North Korea released the information they did. First they made Sony a national joke by releasing emails that showed company execs making racist and derogatory statements about the people who would normally likely rush to their defense: actors and President Obama.

    “Here’s the brilliant thing they did. You embarrass them first, so that no one gets on your side.”

    Clooney’s opinion on what should happen now?

    “Stick it [The Interview film] online. Do whatever you can to get this movie out. Not because everybody has to see the movie, but because I’m not going to be told we can’t see the movie. That’s the most important part. We cannot be told we can’t see something by Kim Jong-un, of all fucking people.”

    Sean Penn warned of even further repercussions, these straight from terrorists that we take more seriously. He said in a statement to Mother Jones:

    “This week, the distributors who wouldn’t show The Interview and Sony have sent ISIS a commanding invitation. I believe ISIS will accept the invitation. Pandora’s box is officially open.

    “The decision to pull The Interview is historic. It’s a case of putting short term interests ahead of the long term. If we don’t get the world on board to see that this is a game changer, if this hacking doesn’t frighten the Chinese and the Russians, we’re in for a very different world, a very different country, community, and a very different culture.

    “This matter should be before the UN Security Council today.”

  • Jessica Chambers: Is Social Media Helping or Harming Case?

    Jessica Chambers may not be with us anymore. Her funeral is over; her friends are trying to find their way back to their normal lives, even with heavy hearts. But the case is far from over.

    Jessica Chambers — for those of you who haven’t heard — was burned alive by her own car in a rural Mississippi area. When paramedics found her, she was still alive, still burning. She was flown to a Memphis hospital and died later.

    Local police in Panola County, Mississippi at first said that they didn’t have much to go on.

    “There’s just not a lot of street talk out there about who may or may not have done this,” the District attorney on the case said. Well, there’s plenty of street talk now. The question is whether all of it — or even any of it — is useful to police.

    A lot of the investigation initially centered around gas station security camera footage showing Jessica Chambers not long before the murder. Police reports indicate that Jessica was doused with gasoline before being set on fire. The hope was that the security camera at the only gas station in the area might have caught something.

    Apparently police did not get their hands on the footage before reporters did. When reporters released pieces of the video, i was apparent thaty they did not have the source tape, but had shot video of the monitor playing the tape. Different news outlets showed different segments of footage, from different angles.

    Some amateur sleuths started comparing these pieces, noticing persons who were at the station around the same time as Jessica. But others went another route. Persons claiming association with the hacktivist group Anonymous started looking at potential gang activity angles and posting what they found to Twitter. Using techniques most people don’t know about and that law enforcement is forbidden from using, they found what they claimed were connections between Jessica, local gangs, and the owner of the gas station at the center of it all.

    Anonymous takes credit for getting the FBI involved in the first place, by virtue of the alleged gang activity they uncovered in the area.

    Anonymous claimed that a man named Ali Alsanai whose family owns the gas station, was involved with local gangs. They claimed that his gas station is a hub of gang activity. And they claimed that those gangs had affiliations that stretched not only into other states, but into the local police department, as well.

    This line of “investigation” led to Ali Alsanai being viewed by some in the public as a suspect. This caused a lot of upset for Alsanai and his friends.

    Police have cleared Alsanai, but others say that it was never a question of whether he lit the match that killed Jessica. It was about whether he knows who did it, and perhaps even altered security camera footage.

    Beau Eldon’s Twitter account has been deleted since these tweets were posted.

    While Jessica’s family and friends grieved and set up Facebook pages in her memory, seeking justice for her murder, others began to question the involvement of those in charge of the investigation, and even some of Jessica’s own family.

    Eventually, the FBI got involved in the case, and still are. They vow not to leave until Jessica’s murderer or murderers are caught. Anonymous vows to expose the width and breadth of the area gang activity and purported law enforcement involvement in it. They say their methods are actually helping law enforcement, because the Feds don’t need a warrant to go after something that gets exposed on social media.

    Jessica’s sister Amanda Prince said that she thinks some of the theorizing done by people searching online for clues can do more harm than good.

    “You can’t just go by this rumor that he did, she did, you did it, and he did it. I want them to know, exactly, I want them to get all their evidence,” she said.

    But the atmosphere in Panola County has changed, according to news reports. The lack of street talk is no longer a problem.

  • Jessica Chambers: Gas Station Attendant Accused on Social Media Speaks Out

    Jessica Chambers died 10 days ago when someone set her and her car on fire on the side of a road in Panola County, Mississippi.

    Much speculation and innuendo is swirling in the community of people desperate to know what happened to the 19-year-old.

    The man who may have been one of the last to speak with Jessica Chambers says he is the focus of social media attacks accusing him of being the leader of a gang that may have been involved in her death. He also claims he is receiving death threats because of the accusation.

    Jessica Chambers was found on Dec. 6 burning next to her car, which was also on fire. She later died of burns that authorities say covered nearly 90 percent of her body.

    Ali Asanai, 19, was working in his family’s gas station, where Chambers stopped to get gas and snacks, and allegedly spoke with her a few hours before her death. Alsanai was also one of the first to post pictures of Jessica Chamber’s car and details about her cause of death on Facebook, saying he knows more than he is letting on. The post has since been deleted.

    However, Alsanai later told local news stations that he really does not know anything.

    “I really didn’t know nothing; all I said was she came to the store. That was it. At the end people accused me of doing it. The police officer came today and said I’m better off just to let it go, just no comments for anyone,” Alsanai told WMC Action News.

    Post by Ali Alsanai.

    “Everybody knows me out here,” said Alsanai. “Everybody likes me, I get along with everyone so they probably take it the other way, the wrong way, you know, ‘He’s a gang, he a drug dealer.’ They just posted a video on YouTube about me. I’m scar face Ali Alsanai.”

    Alsanai said he has even received death threats from people who want justice for Jessica Chambers.

    According to WMC, Alsanai asked a stranger in a recorded message: “You’re accusing me of killing that girl?” to which the stranger responded “A lot of people say you did.” The stranger then threatened to get even. When Alsanai asked “So you’re saying that someone is going to come and pour gas down my throat,” the stranger replied, “Somebody is going to have to pay for what they did to that girl.”

    Alsanai also has received death threats via Facebook. In one post, someone wrote, “I hope somebody burns you and your store down.”

    Many of the accusations stem from Anonymous, a group that began a Twitter campaign with the hashtag #OperationJessicaC. They claim they have hacked social media accounts of area gang members in an attempt to do what police cannot do legally. Alsanai says that a lot of the posts on this site and other social media sites connecting him to a gang and the murder of Chambers are lies.

    Post by Ali Alsanai.

    One accusation making the rounds is that gang members hang out and sell drugs at the Alsanai family store, M&M.

    However, frequent patrons and area neighbors deny seeing that kind of behavior at the store.

    “Aint no gangs here,” said Alsanai. “I don’t know where the gang thing came from. It’s just people hang here. But no gang, no drugs, no nothing going on. They need to stop all this stuff ’cause there’s no gangs and drugs around here.”

    According to NewsMs, others question what happened to 53 seconds allegedly missing from the gas station’s surveillance footage captured during the time Jessica Chambers entered and left the establishment on the night of her death. Alsanai said he doesn’t have a clue what happened to the footage that was “revealed” on social media.

    Alsanai insists that accusations that he is a gang leader are lies.

    “Saying I’m a leader in a gang Black Squad, that I’m selling drugs at the store,” commented Alsanai. “They’re ruining our business. Ever since they started talking, we’ve been slow.”

    When asked straight up if he was a gang leader, Alsanai responded, “Nope, I am not. I’ve never had a problem with no polices. I’ve been here all my life at the store just making a living.”

  • Jessica Chambers: Anonymous Claims to Have Killer Possibly Identified

    [Update: A gas station attendant whose name has been spoken about in the Chambers’ case has spoken out. See that Update here on WebProNews at Jessica Chambers: Gas Station Attendant Accused on Social Media Speaks Out.]

    Jessica Chambers murder has shocked the nation. Police say they are still hunting for whoever burned the girl alive. But a group that most people consider troublemakers say they are on the case and know some things the cops may not.

    Jessica Chambers was found burning alive beside her car in northern Mississippi. Paramedics worked fast, flew her 70 miles to Memphis to try to save her, but ended up losing that battle. Police say that Jessica had been doused with some accelerant — perhaps gasoline — and lit on fire. Since then, the nation has wanted to know who did it.

    “There’s just not a lot of street talk out there about who may or may not have done this,” the District attorney on the case said. “We feel like somebody out there has heard something. In all the years I have done this, this is an absolutely horrendous, horrendous case.”

    Despite following clues on a gas station surveillance tape, police have cleared their initial suspect. The D.A. also admits that “there were no family issues” to give them a trail to follow. Police believe that Jessica may have initially been in her car with someone else, but at this point they have no idea who that was. The reward for more information leading to the arrest of her killer is now $11,000.

    But now there may be a break in the case — if not officially, then for those willing to consider evidence not gathered within the law.

    The Anonymous group has begun a Twitter campaign called OperationJessicaC. They have hacked social media accounts of area gang members in an attempt to find out what the police may not be able to find out within legal search means.

    A common image in the material they post is a quote from HBO’s True Detective series, urging people to look beyond the mainstream reporting and dig deeper.

    Some of the evidence that Anonymous has claimed to uncover includes what appears to be a connection between Jessica Chambers and some local gang members. They specifically name the “Black Squad” gang.

    The group says that Jessica had dated a Black Squad member and that the gas station she was last seen at is known to be within their territory and frequented by them.

    One tweet they grabbed screenshots of contained references to “barbecuing bitches”.

    The Anonymous investigation has veered into some interesting claims that local police in the area are getting kickbacks from gangs for turning a blind eye to meth-selling activities in the area.

    They even say that some of Jessica’s family members were involved in criminal activities that a truly deep investigation into her murder would uncover.

    Others are looking at the evidence that Anonymous is presenting and using that as a jumping-off point to create their own timelines. They too say that there are big problems with the official investigation in Mississippi.

    One factor that is being talked about quite a lot is the gas station video footage. Apparently the video that is being seen on the Internet was not found by police, but by a reporter days later. And the various footage versions out there were all recorded by reporters shooting video of the gas station’s surveillance system monitor, leading to fragmented pieces of the story.

  • KKK in Ferguson, Missouri? Pastor Says Yes

    KKK in Ferguson, Missouri? Pastor Says Yes

    Is the KKK in Ferguson, Missouri? The pastor of Michael Brown, Sr.’s church believes that may be true. The church was one of several buildings burned to the ground following the rioting in Ferguson following the grand jury’s decision not to prosecute Darren Wilson, the cop who shot 18-year-old Michael Brown. In fact, Pastor Carlton Lee told NBC News that he believes white supremacists burned his church to the ground in order to “punish him for his support of the Brown family.”

    The online ‘hacktivist’ group Anonymous dumped lots of personal information online allegedly belonging to members of the KKK. This is just part of the group’s campaign against the white supremacists who threatened to use lethal force against protesters following the grand jury’s decision not to indict Darren Wilson. Anonymous also claims to have taken over the @KuKluxKlanUSA Twitter account.

    Anonymous continues to post via Twitter, insisting that there are members of the KKK in Ferguson. They believe that those supporting Darren Wilson are in fact Ku Klux Klan members. They have accused members of the Ferguson Police Department of having KKK ties.

    Anonymous released a YouTube video this week detailing its allegations about the KKK in Ferguson. The proof is currently questionable. It is made up mostly of sources and photos of KKK members at a rally for Darren Wilson. The video indicates, however, that the group will continue to search for confirmed connections.

    Do you think the KKK is in Ferguson, Missouri? Is there way more going on there in the Michael Brown case than meets the eye–or the lens of network news?

    Do you believe there is a KKK connection to the Ferguson, Missouri police department?

  • KKK Linked To Ferguson Police Dept. According To Anonymous

    The online hacktivist group Anonymous dumped personal information online belonging to alleged members of the Ku Klux Klan. This is just part of the group’s campaign against the white supremacists who threatened to use lethal force against protesters following the grand jury’s decision not to indict Darren Wilson. Anonymous also claims to have taken over the @KuKluxKlanUSA Twitter account. In a new video, the group threatened to shut down Missouri government websites to protest the grand jury’s decision.

    One of Anonymous’ goals is to establish a link between the Ferguson Police Department and a local chapter of the KKK. It’s been reported that a mole inside the St. Louis County Police Department provided information about matter. An offshoot of Anonymous called NOWsec is spearheading what is called “Operation KKK”. NOWsec is alleging that Wilson is part of “The Ghost Squad”, a group of police officers who are silent members of the Traditionalist American Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. According to Anonymous, they have managed to acquire evidence about Ferguson PD’s ties with the KKK but they could not publish it because it would endanger their mole’s safety.

    Racial tensions have been high in Ferguson, Missouri recently after Wilson shot and killed Michael Brown. This is just one of the many instances of white police officers killing young African-Americans under questionable circumstances. After the grand jury announced their decision not to indict Wilson for the shooting, citizens took to the streets.

    During the grand jury, Wilson delivered his testimony. This is the only time he spoke about the shooting. According to Wilson, he stopped Brown and a companion after hearing reports of a robbery in a cigar store. Brown allegedly harassed the police officer, leaving him no choice but to pull out his gun. Wilson first shot Brown from inside the car, but after Brown ran away, the police officer gave chase. Wilson shot him a few more times before delivering the fatal blow with a shot to the head. “When he fell, he fell on his face,” Wilson recalled. “I remember his feet coming up… and then they rested.”

    On Monday, November 24, the Flood Christian Church as well as many other buildings in the area were set on fire. It is worth noting that Brown’s father, Michael Brown Sr., was a member of the church. This led pastor Carlton Lee to speculate that white supremacists were the ones behind the church burning to “punish him for his support of the Brown family”.

  • Ferguson: Twitter Suspends Anonymous Account That Possibly Outed Wrong Guy, Anon Ceases Doxxing

    As tensions spill over in Ferguson, Missouri, over the police shooting of an unarmed teen and the subsequent protests and police response, Twitter has suspended the account of an Anonymous chapter which claimed to have outed the officer involved.

    Five days ago, 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot and killed by a police officer. Accounts of the incident vary, but what is known is that Brown was unarmed at the time. The Ferguson Police Department has declined to release the name of the officer who killed Brown, citing concerns for his safety.

    That doesn’t sit well with the protesters, who took to the streets Wednesday and were eventually fired upon with rubber bullet and tear gas. It also didn’t sit well with the operator of the @TheAnonMessage Twitter account, who promised to dox the officer (reveal his identity) since the police department wouldn’t.

    Early on Tuesday, the account tweeted out the name of the officer, as well as photos taken from his Facebook account.

    Turns out, it may have been the wrong guy. The St. Louis County Police Department tweeted that the man outed by the Anonymous account is not even an officer with Ferguson or St. Louis County PD.

    “Do not release more info on this random citizen,” they asked.

    Other Anonymous accounts, including the most-popular one, @YourAnonNews, are still up and running and while supporting the cause, they make it clear that they were not responsible for revealing anything.

    Thus is the nature of Anonymous – fragmented. It’s not one centralized group, instead a collection of independent operators all flying under the same flag, if you will.

    The operators of the original @TheAnonMessage account have apparently launched a backup account, @TheAnonMessage2. They say that “censoring us is an act of war.”

    But they also say they are holding back on the doxxing for now.

    As the country looks to Ferguson, President Obama has called for an “open inquiry” into the shooting and reports indicate that the FBI will soon take over operations from the local police department.

  • Hidden Cash Philanthropy Is Going Viral

    Hidden Cash Philanthropy Is Going Viral

    That’s right!

    I’m here to spread some good news on this lovely Sunday.

    An anonymous and wealthy property developer in San Francisco with the twitter handle @hiddencash initiated a treasure hunt about a week ago and now it’s spreading internationally. After tweeting Californians clues about where the drop off would be, locals would seek out the site, recover the money-containing envelope, and gratefully tweet photos to him – holding their prize in hand.

    As it’s sometimes difficult to believe in altruism, some have questioned how genuine his motives are.

    However, the self-described member of the one percent (who remains anonymous right down to his exact age) has explained, “There is nothing commercial behind this. I’ve made millions of dollars the last few years, more than I ever imagined, and yet many friends of mine, and people who work for me, cannot afford to buy a modest home.”

    He added, “This is my way of giving back to the community and also having fun.”

    While the amounts given aren’t world altering (in a financial way) – that’s not what it’s all about. One San Francisco couple, for example, offered an interview after collecting $66 and a lottery ticket from a nearby drop off. Richard Rodriguez and his partner said, “The money was great but it was also so much fun doing something like this. It was a scavenger hunt.” Rodriguez added, “It’s not a lot of money. It’s not going to change your life. But the camaraderie it brings out in people is a lot of fun.”

    The unidentified generous gentleman expressed his intent to keep taking the giveaway to new cities, but not before infecting those whose lives he’d touched with the spirit of giving:

    And infusing the typical workday with some “fun”:

    And – as he’d intended – having some fun in the process himself:

    After just a little over a week since its inception, this innovative method of giving back has already spread. The United Kingdom and Vancouver have also seen the rise of prosperous citizens anonymously proffering money. Britain’s benevolent 25-year-old (who made his money via several e-commerce businesses), was inspired by the American version, and said: “I thought why not bring that over here and the reaction has been really good. I’m in a fortunate position to be able to give away money on a daily basis at the moment.”

    Explaining what spurred him on a personal level, he added:

    “It got to a point where there is only so much stuff that money can buy and for myself – as well as for the people finding the money – I find it quite fun. I get more of a kick out of that than I would spending £50 on myself. We’ve planned a drop right down south, in Brighton, and I’ve planned one in London.”

    Now, Vancouver is also part of the social experiment as the twitter account @hiddencashYVR began the giveaways too. Posted to their account page is, “let’s bring some smiles to Vancouverites. Pictures and clues of hidden $100s around town will be posted… finders, keepers!”

    But the only thing the “finders” are “keeping” is the spirit – by paying it forward:

    It’s a wonderful thing when good news like this spreads instead of dying in its ephemeral televised time slot – sandwiched between distress tales. So, if you’re in a city participating, have fun, be safe, and remember that we can all be a part of this – wherever we are. Whether we pay for a stranger’s coffee or just pay them a compliment on their brilliant smile, we’ve done something awesome today that just might spread too.

    Have a beautiful day!

    Image via Youtube

  • Albuquerque Protests Turn Violent

    Albuquerque Protests Turn Violent

    Earlier this month, James Boyd, age 38, was confronted by police officers for illegally camping in the Sandia Foothills in Albuquerque, New Mexico. After a somewhat brief standoff, Boyd and the officers had come to a peaceful agreement of sorts. “All right, don’t change up the agreement,” stated Boyd as he began to gather his belongings. “I’m going to try to walk with you.”

    Before Boyd could get said opportunity to walk with the police, however, one of the officers is heard yelling, “Do it!”

    As soon as the command was made, officers fired a flash-bang grenade at Boyd’s feet, disorienting the homeless man. After the grenade goes off, Boyd brandishes two knives in the air above his head, his intent being unknown. At that moment, two officers opened fire on Boyd, dropping him to the ground.

    “Please don’t hurt me anymore. I can’t move,” Boyd pleaded as the officers approached his prostrate body.

    Boyd would die in the hospital the next day.

    It was this incident, plus the shooting and killing of another man approximately one week later, which prompted the protests in Albuquerque this Sunday.

    The call for protests began when the hacktivist group Anonymous posted an online video condemning the actions of the Albuquerque Police Department (APD) and asking citizens to march in the streets of Albuquerque near the police department. Anonymous also vowed to take cyber-action against the police department, a task in which they succeeded in by taking down the APD website on Sunday.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuinzEynAxM

    While the majority of the protesting on Sunday was peaceful, tensions surged as the evening hours approached. When protesters refused to leave the streets, police officers used tear gas to disperse the crowds. According to the mayor of Albuquerque, Richard Berry, at least one officer was injured by a thrown rock and another was trapped in a vehicle by protesters.

    Despite the fact that Mayor Berry believes the protests devolved into “mayhem” Sunday night, he apparently values the cause the protesters are backing, stating, “I think it’s the right thing. We need answers as a community. I want answers as a mayor,” when asked to give his opinion of the impending federal investigation into the over-use of deadly force by the APD.

    Since 2010, APD officers have been involved in 36 shootings, 22 of which were fatal. During those four years, police misconduct lawsuits have also cost taxpayers a whopping $24 million.

    In comparison, the city of New York has had 25 fatal police shootings in two years – albeit for a city that hosts 15 times as many citizens.

    Citizens of Albuquerque and the Department of Justice are not the first bodies to act out against the magnitude of police violence, though. In 2011, the City Council of Albuquerque requested that Mayor Berry pursue a federal investigation into the APD’s use of deadly force, a request Mayor Berry vetoed. One year ago, the city also asked for the Mayor to fire the current police chief, another concern which went unnoticed.

    As it currently stands, the City Council is voicing its concern once again in light of the 2014 killings.

    Image via Twitter

  • FBI Anonymous Hackers Net Over 100k Employees’ Info

    FBI Anonymous Hackers Net Over 100k Employees’ Info

    Reuters and the Atlantic Wire reported today about hacktivist collective Anonymous, which utilized backdoor entry to gain access to over 100,000 government employees’ information.

    It all started last year, but we learned about it when 28-year-old Lauri Love, a British hacker loosely associated with Anonymous, was arrested in October for stealing the information. Love’s hacking team had installed backdoor malware in networks belonging to the U.S. Army, NASA, and the Missile Command Agency. Other affected agencies included the Department of Energy, and the Department of Health and Human Services.

    Investigators have indicated that they believe Love obtained access utilizing a flaw in Adobe Systems’ ColdFusion web-building software. An Adobe spokeswoman added that the majority of cyberattacks took place because of software that had not yet been updated with security patches.

    Between Love’s initial hack and the arrest, the FBI believe that Anonymous hackers repeatedly entered the government system, stole personal details from employees, contractors and families. 2000 bank accounts were stolen, and the FBI is worried about theft. Love’s lawyers are fighting his extradition and are hoping to keep him in the U.K. to face hacking charges.

    An FBI memo has called the hacking “a widespread problem that should be addressed… the majority of the intrusions have not yet been made publicly known [and] It is unknown exactly how many systems have been compromised.”

    Anonymous has called the attacks “Operation Last Resort,” and campaigners for the hacktivist collective have said the operation was a retaliatory measure for the prosecution and suicide of Aaron Swartz, a computer programmer who attained notoriety when he allegedly saved hundreds of published articles from the academic digital library, JSTOR. Swartz had illegally accessed hundreds of academic papers and made them free for anyone to download.

    A second hacktivist with Anonymous and Lulzsec, Jeremy Hammond, was sentenced to 10 years in jail yesterday for one count of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.

    “I have tried everything from voting petitions to peaceful protest and have found that those in power do not want the truth to be exposed,” Hammond said in his sentencing statement, which he used as a soapbox. “When we speak truth to power we are ignored at best and brutally suppressed at worst. We are confronting a power structure that does not respect its own system of checks and balances, never mind the rights of it’s [sic] own citizens or the international community.”

    [Image via Thinkstock]

  • Typhoon Yolanda Makes Landfall in Philippines

    The Philippines has been hit by  powerful pacific storm, Haiyan, which is classified as a super typhoon. The typhoon brought sustained winds that were measured at more than 195 miles per hour before making landfall. The storm sustained one minute winds producing powerful puffs of 230 miles per hour.

    This typhoon is the most powerful typhoon to make a landfall in 2013 and is extremely catastrophic. The South East Asian country has been affected by the super typhoon in Central Visayas, Layet, and Samar provinces. It is estimated that the potential landfall area of this typhoon will likely be along Northern Leyte by Friday.

    Residents living in Bicol Region, Northern Mindanao and Northern Quezon are asked to remain vigilant as they monitor the approach of this destructive typhoon. Emergency and disaster management plans are now in place. Warnings have been issued regarding heavy damages likely to affect the communities, which includes power disruptions and serious agricultural losses, as well as infrastructural damages.

    When the landfall occurs, heavy to intense rainfall will be expected and the typhoon’s diameter is expected to extend to 600km. So people are asked to postpone all travel, especially to the affected areas.

    Meanwhile, Philippines’ Disaster Government website has been hacked.  According to Ibtimes, Cyber pirates infiltrated the website of Dina, a government disaster management websites and redirected visitors to an adult site. “A server where we upload was hacked,” said council executive director Eduardo del Rosario.

    The website was launched to offer real-time information to Filipinos on natural disasters like floods, tsunamis, landslides, and typhoons, among others. Rosario told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that the website would “educate the general public on disaster preparedness”.

    According to reports, the group responsible for the website attack is believed to be hacktivist group known as Anonymous. The hackers have already said that they have hacked several government website as a global protest against the government’s action to censor information and engage in corruption.

    (image via weather.com)

  • Million Mask March Protests…Stuff…

    Million Mask March Protests…Stuff…

    Remember, remember!
    The fifth of November,
    The Gunpowder treason and plot;
    I know of no reason
    Why the Gunpowder treason
    Should ever be forgot!

    So begins many different iterations of poetry derived from the Gunpowder Plot, an attempt by Catholics to depose the Protestant King James I and replaced him with a Catholic head-of-state. The most famous member of this treasonous plot, Guy Fawkes, was captured by authorities while trying to light 36 gunpowder kegs underneath Parliament, in hopes of killing the King and other members of the British government. The Guy Fawkes figure was later adapted by Alan Moore in his graphic novel, “V for Vendetta,” which was then turned into a hugely successful motion picture.

    Now, the Guy Fawkes image has been adapted once again for another use. This time, the hacktivist group Anonymous has adopted the image to represent their fight against… the world? On their main website and Facebook page, Anonymous encourages people in 450+ locations to march against their governments on November 5th. Their cause? “To remind this world what it has forgotten, That fairness, justice, and freedom are more than just words” What that means, exactly, no one knows. Anonymous made sure to point out that the march has no leader and is only a movement, not an organization.

    Despite the fact that the movement is leaderless, it has gained some steam. More than 17,000 people RSVP’d to attend demonstrations in Washington, D.C., where such topics as nuclear warfare, political corruption, and NSA actions were spoken against. However, it is unlikely that the demonstrations will see more than 1 million people march, especially with a paltry showing of 50 people at Time Square in New York City.

    The lack of support for the Million Mask March is most likely due in large part due to the incoherent nature of the march itself. Not only is Anonymous involved, but also other social protest groups, such as Wikileaks, the Pirate Party, and the Occupy Movement. While all of these groups can label themselves under the banner of standing against government corruption and inequality, there is no real “joining” rhetoric or propaganda. If the Occupy Movement made no real head-way with their months of “organized’ protests, how does the Million Mask March plan to create any real change?

    The most effective thing this march does is put money into the hands of Time Warner, the company that owns the rights to the Guy Fawkes image worn by all the protesters. The other accomplishment of this march is to misrepresent history. Guy Fawkes was not an anti-authoritarian figure – he was trying to depose one king only to establish another. And Guy Fawkes Night was traditionally celebrated in England as an anti-Catholic holiday after the assassination attempt failed and the Protestants reappropriated the day.

    While it may be true that Anonymous is one of the most influential groups in the world, this march is nothing more than typical American grandstanding. Anonymous should stick to their hacking ways and leave organized protest to those more socially adept.

    [Image via Twitter]

  • Maryville, Mo Rape Case Receives Special Prosecutor

    On January 8, 2012, 14 year old Daisy Coleman and her 13 year old friend, Paige Parkhurst, snuck out Daisy’s home, after consuming stolen alcohol, and went to a party thrown by high school football players. At said party, both Coleman and Parkhurst were given more alcohol to drink, and then were raped by two older football players. A third boy filmed the incident.

    Following the sexual assault, the boys took Coleman and her friend and dumped them off at Coleman’s house. Coleman, still semi-conscious due to the high amounts of alcohol in her system, languished outside her home all night in 22 degree weather. She was discovered by her mother the next morning, clawing at the front door to get in. Upon taking both Coleman and Parkhurst to the hospital, it was discovered that both girls had indeed been raped, and Coleman’s alcohol level was at 0.13, 7 hours after the incident occurred.

    That morning, the county’s sheriff’s department received warrants for the arrest of the three teens and the boys, along with much evidence, were apprehended.

    However, despite the convincing details of the story and admittance of the teen that he and Coleman had indeed had sex, the charges were dropped by the County Prosecutor, Robert Rice. Rice stated, “there was insufficient evidence to prove a criminal charge beyond a reasonable doubt.The State’s witnesses refused to cooperate and invoked their Fifth Amendment privilege to not testify.”

    Nodaway County Sheriff, Darren White, corroborates Rice’s statement: “They wouldn’t cooperate and then they said they would cooperate. And then they wouldn’t cooperate. And then they went back and forth.” White added that, “The only people’s stories that have been inconsistent throughout this whole thing are the Colemans’ — are the victims in this case — and I don’t know why that is.”

    Despite Rice’s and White’s statements that the Coleman’s refused to cooperate, Daisy’s mother insists that they did everything they could to further the investigation: “How do you think we didn’t want to cooperate? We went to get a rape kit done. I wrote a statement, and my daughter gave a statement to the police.”

    The case was dropped in March 2012, but a recent story ran by the Kansas City Star over the weekend drew national attention to the issue. Not only have social media outlets taken up the mantle for ensuring justice, but Anonymous has entered the ring as well.

    Anonymous is a loosely-organized internet-based hacktivist group known for “defending the defenseless”. Anonymous does not typically associate itself with rape cases, but once injustice receives enough national attention, the group has a tendency to exert its influence (Also, it doesn’t hurt that they were called out in a tweet which stated, “This is what happens when Anonymous doesn’t get involved in a rape case,” with a link to the Kansas City Star article.)

    Tuesday, Anonymous sent a message to the town of Maryville, Mo:

    “We demand an immediate investigation into the handling by local authorities of Daisy’s case. We have heard Daisy’s story far too often. We heard it from Steubenville, Halifax and Uttar Pradesh. … If Maryville won’t defend these young girls, if the police are too cowardly or corrupt to do their jobs, if justice system has abandoned them, then we will have to stand for them.”

    Following pressure from the Kansas City Star article and Anonymous, County Prosecutor Robert Rice called for a special prosecutor to take a look at the case: “The public trust in our criminal justice system must be upheld at all times. My name was dragged through the mud in that [Kansas City Star] article, and I don’t appreciate that. The way the article was written inflamed passions.”

    If inflamed passions is what it takes to force Rice to reopen a prematurely-closed case, then inflamed passions must be created. While the Coleman family must be ecstatic that the case is being looked at once again, their main objective is not to seek punitive justice: “I think just having it looked at fairly and having other people know how much we were bullied goes a long way. Even if that’s all that ever comes out of it. That may be enough to move on and have some peace and some security,” stated Daisy’s mother.

    At the end of the day, however one views the case, all the frustration and confusion seems to be due to a breakdown of effective communication. Both Rice and White state that the Coleman’s were uncooperative with the investigation, while the Colemans state that they don’t know what else Rice and prosecutors wanted them to do. This case exemplifies why proper communication and dissemination of ideas and information is becoming increasingly vital in a state with ever-escalating amounts of bureaucracy and red-tape.

    Image via Facebook

  • Facebook Did Not Intentionally Block Tor

    Facebook Did Not Intentionally Block Tor

    Tor has become a tool of free expression in parts of the world where citizens can not speak freely against their government. Many use the anonymous Web network to share information and updates with the rest of the world via social networks like Facebook and Twitter. What happens then when one of those social networks blocks Tor?

    That very question arose today when Tor users found that they couldn’t connect to Facebook. Some reports made it sound like Facebook was intentionally blocking Tor. That was not the case. The Tor Project team said Facebook’s automated systems that detect malicious activity were to blame for the blockade:

    A number of users have noticed that Facebook is blocking connections from the Tor network. Facebook is not blocking Tor deliberately. However, a high volume of malicious activity across Tor exit nodes triggered Facebook’s site integrity systems which are designed to protect people who use the service.

    It shouldn’t come as a surprise to learn that freedom fighters and dissidents aren’t the only ones using Tor. A number of criminals and ne’er-do-wells also use the anonymous Web browsing service for everything from drugs to child porn. Activity coming from these parts of the network could have triggered Facebook’s automated defenses.

    At 2:30 p.m. EST, Tor access to Facebook was restored. At that time, the Tor Project team offered an update that better explained the situation:

    Facebook’s site integrity systems detected automated malicious activity coming from a significant number of Tor exit nodes. In order to protect people while we investigated the problem, access via these nodes was temporarily suspended. This issue has now been resolved and Tor access routes to Facebook restored.

    It’s good to know that Facebook wasn’t intentionally blocking Tor, but the situation is a perfect example of how important anonymous online services are. Many people were rightly concerned that they would no longer be able to post pictures and other information on social media for fear of being arrested by their government.

    Even if we’re being watched by the NSA, you can still feel lucky to live in a country where you can say mostly anything online. Just be sure to watch it when using certain words.

  • Anonymous Announces #OpPetrol, Targets Oil Industry

    Anonymous has a bone to pick with the oil industry.

    Via various Anonymous related YouTube channels, the hacktivist group announced Operation Petrol this week. As the name implies, Anonymous will be targeting the oil industry. What’s interesting about this particular operation is that it’s not being contained to one country or area. Anonymous is calling on members worldwide to target local oil companies.

    If you can’t watch the video, here are the relevant bits:

    It has been a long time coming, operation petrol, will be engaged on the 20th June 2013.

    This operation will include the U S, Canada, England, Israel, Saudi Arabia (only Government), China, Italy, France, Germany, Kuwait (only government) and Qatar (only government).

    Saudi Arabia you have betrayed your fellow believers with your cooperation with these greedy foreigners causing much pressure on families from around the world, you allow this to happen.

    You may not already know, but in the future, electronic transfer of money will be the governments ideal preferred way of all transactions by 2020.

    What you do not know, is when this occurs, just like in Syria, your government will be able to have access to your funds and retirement money at anytime they wish to steal it.

    The U S is known for creating war for the purpose of stealing Gold, stealing Oil and stealing Opium which they are doing in Afghanistan still to this day, but you are not aware of this, because your media are not allowed to tell you because of the censorship ban inplace about this.

    If the Governments succeed with a NO PAPER MONEY system, they will have no need to steal gold, oil or opium, they will have no need for war because they will have, trillions of dollars at their finger tips, and there will be nothing you can do about it.

    The pastebin release in the description further describes #OpPetrol as a predominantly Mulsim-run operation that will primarily target Middle Eastern countries that export oil. It lists a number of grievances, including claims of the government turning their backs on Islam in favor of money.

    As it’s stated above, #OpPetrol will begin on June 20. We’ll keep an eye out to see if Anonymous actually attacks anything. Previous threats have often returned empty.

    [h/t: The Hill]

  • Anonymous Defaces NAMBLA Web Site As Part Of #OpAlice

    Anonymous has a history with child predators. The hacktivist group frequently targets them during its operations, but it’s now launching a massive attack on numerous Web sites as part of a new operation.

    Anonymous announced today that it has taken down the North American Man/Boy Love Association’s Web site in protest of Alice Day. The unofficial holiday, originally known as Pedophile Pride Day, is celebrated every April 25. To counter the group’s message and in observation of Child Abuse Awareness Month, Anonymous will be taking down numerous child pornography Web sites around the world today.

    For those who can’t watch the video, here’s a transcript:

    April is child abuse awareness month, and coincidentally it is also a month in which child rapists, molesters and abusers celebrate a particular holiday. On April 25th, Abusers worldwide celebrate the holiday Alice Day, named after Alice Liddell and, “Alice In Wonderland”, originally Pedophile Pride Day. On this holiday the pedophiles celebrate, rape and molestation of little girls. Many pedophiles believe it is okay for them to celebrate “loving” a female child that day.

    We call upon all Anonymous Operatives to come forward and march with us as legion. To deface and cause chaos within the pedophile networks.

    To the public; On April 25th we will be conducting various operations involving online methods such as Distributed Denial of Service attacks, doxing, and website defacement. We ask that you please watch your children and be extra vigilant, because April 25th is like Christmas to them.

    The Daily Dot reports that Anonymous will be targeting every pedophile hub on the Net. The goal is to take them down and keep them down for as long as possible. The group obviously hopes it can also out as many pedophiles in the hope that those outed will be arrested.

    [h/t: Gizmodo]

  • Australia Claims To Have Nabbed LulzSec Leader, Anonymous Says They Nabbed A Troll

    Just last week, a member of LulzSec was sentenced for his part in the Sony Pictures hack in 2011 that saw information from the site being spread across the Internet. Now Australia says it’s nabbed another member of the notorious hacking group.

    The Australian Federal Police announced yesterday evening that they arrested Matt Flannery, a 24-year-old IT professional from Point Claire. The police allege that he attacked and defaced a government Web site earlier in the month. Interestingly enough, the police also say that he’s a “self-proclaimed leader” of LulzSec.

    The police say Flannery used his position within an IT company to hack a number of clients. The police also warned that he would have attacked more Web sites had he stayed employed with the company.

    Flannery faces two counts of unauthorized modification of data to cause impairment and one count of unauthorized access to, or modification of, restricted data. The police note that the maximum penalty for the former is 10 years and 2 years for the latter.

    What’s interesting about all of this is that the police say he’s a “self-proclaimed leader” of LulzSec. Members of Anonymous and others have come out on Twitter to dispute this claim:

    As an added bonus, Gizmodo AU dug up this video of the alleged LulzSec “leader” singing along to Grease:

    [h/t: BBC]

  • Anonymous Hacks North Korea’s Twitter, Flickr Accounts

    Did you know North Korea has a Twitter and flickr account? The nation uses these accounts to spread its propaganda, but recent world events have made the nation’s online presence a target for hackers.

    The Guardian reports that North Korea’s Twitter and flickr accounts have been compromised by hackers claiming to be a part of Anonymous. The reasoning behind the attacks seems to be in retaliation to North Korea’s most recent threat to attack the United States and its allies with nuclear weapons. In fact, one of the images posted on flickr calls out North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un for “threatening world peace with ICBMs and nuclear weapons” among other things.

    Anonymous Hacks North Korea's Twitter, Flickr Accounts

    Other images on the flickr account include an image of the North Korean flag with a Guy Fawkes mask, and a simple “We Are Anonymous” in white text on a black background.

    The Twitter hack is far less entertaining, however, as the only updates to it thus far have been multiple messages that say “hacked” while linking to North Korean Web sites that have been taken down by Anonymous.

    Unlike other recent hacks, I doubt that North Korea will try to wrestle away its accounts from Anonymous. I highly doubt that Twitter and flickr are in the mood to help them get the accounts back either.

  • Anonymous Hacked By Rival Hacker Collective

    Over the past few days, a number of high profile brands and people have had their Twitter accounts hacked. Burger King was the first to fall victim to the hacks with Donald Trump’s personal account following a day later. Now the latest victim is connected with the group responsible for the hacks.

    BBC News reports that the popular Anonymous Central Twitter (@Anon_Central) was hacked by a rival hacker group known as Rustle League. The Twitter feed was forced down, and now the account is starting from scratch.

    While this was going on, most of the dramas was taking place on the fellow @Anon_Central Twitter. Some were saying that a fight between rival hacker collectives was wonderfully entertaining, but most were asking the two groups to work together instead of fighting amongst themselves.

    Of course, some people find the idea of Anonymous getting hacked to be scary in and of itself:

    It should be noted that not all hackers are related to Anonymous, and some really hate Anonymous. In this case, it seems that Rustle League was in it for the “lulz.” There might be cases in the future, however, where rival hacker collectives take things to serious new levels by posting personal information on those involved in each group. For hackers veiled in anonymity, that would be the worst possible thing.

  • Anonymous Hacks State Department, Leaks Database

    #OpLastResort continues as a branch of Anonymous continues its war against the U.S. government in response to the death of Aaron Swartz. The last major offensive saw Anonymous hacking the Fed and releasing banker records on the net.

    In its latest attempt to get the government’s attention, Anonymous announced that it hacked the State Department . To top if off, the hacker collective also released a database it found while going through the Web site. The database contains the personal information of State Department employees in the U.S. and overseas. The information in the dump includes names, birth dates, phone numbers, email addresses, home addresses, etc.

    According to Anonymous, this latest hack is not only a continuation of #OpLastResort, but a response to the U.S. arresting and imprisoning members of Anonymous. Here’s the full statement:

    Our reasons for this attack are very simple. You’ve imprisoned or either censored our people. We will not tolerate things as such. You don’t see us going around censoring everything that is inappropriate or we do not like. Basically, you tried to put an end to us and you got owned, there’s nothing more you can say or do. You took away Topiary, Avunit, Neuron, Pwnsauce, lolspoon, Aaron Swartz shall we go on? Heck you think this makes us weak? We are only growing stronger because of the fact that you are forcing us to revolt. When the lions roar you will hear them. And when it’s feeding time you’ll be our dinner.

    Aaron Swartz this is for you, this is for Operation Last Resort.

    We are Anonymous.
    We are Legion.
    We do not forgive.
    We do not forget.
    Expect us.
    #OpLastResort

    The State Department wasn’t the only target of this latest hack. Anonymous also targeted private investment firm George K. Baum and Company. The site was defaced with a link to a pastebin that featured private account information of all the firm’s customers. According to the OpLastResort Twitter feed, this particular hack was made because of the firm’s ties to Stratfor, the private intelligence company that Anonymous hacked into last year.

    Once again, it looks like #OpLastResort won’t be slowing down anytime soon. Anonymous will continue looking for exploits in government Web sites, and publicly hack them for all to see. At this point, it’s not so much about getting any kind of information, but rather just embarrassing the government.

    It will be interesting to see how Obama’s new cybersecurity executive order will affect how the government reacts to attacks from Anonymous. The new rules for information sharing between public and private institutions may just help stop some of these attacks before they happen, but it isn’t likely.

    [h/t: Net-Security]