It may be a little bit of a stretch, but this masked activist group is almost on par with the likes of Batman or Spider-Man in my eyes. These people are doing things that should technically get them arrested and put on most wanted lists, but are doing so for the greater good of mankind. By taking an interest in this case and becoming publically outspoken on their views of small town cover ups and political corruption of the local school district in the favor of the football team and at the expense of those who have already been victimized, I see the actions of Anonymous as nothing short of heroic. The means used to obtain some of this information may not have been fully legal, but I believe there is such a thing as doing the wrong thing for the right reason. Anonymous didn’t go in and steal anyone’s credit card information, or go onto someone’s profile to make threats or spread lies about people. They took the opportunity to use their skills to prevent these people from taking their skeletons and buying them deep inside a digital closet. While I may not fully condone the idea of illegal search and seizure, I can’t say that I’m against the actions of Anonymous. These boys had gone out of their way to abuse and humiliate another human being, and violate the sexual rights of a teenage girl. I for one am willing to overlook the fact that some evidence was obtained in a shady manner if it means helping a girl who has had her own community deny her some basic rights for the sake of the saving face for the football team I love seeing these tales of vigilantes, people that could easily have been you or me, going out of their way and putting themselves on the line to support people who have been wronged and don’t have the voice enough to stand alone against their plight. I only hope that everyone can find the courage to find a way to help someone in need, to give the little guy some help when his cause is just. | Members of Anonymous, known for wearing masks of Guy Fawkes from the movie “V for Vendetta,” have also threatened to release the personal information of all those supposedly involved in the rape, the high school football team, the coaches, and more if those responsible didn’t come forward and admit their crime by January 1. January 1 has come and gone and as of the writing of this column, Anonymous has not made good on its threat. However, for their role in uncovering the case, the hackers of Anonymous have been declared criminal vigilantes by some and cyber heroes by others. Anonymous supposedly broke into private online accounts, stole pictures and videos, and distributed them to everyone on the web. To me, that would be like breaking into a Wal-Mart Supercenter for a misdemeanor a Wal-Mart executive had allegedly committed, stealing from all its cash registers without getting caught and dumping the cash into a red Salvation Army bucket in front of the store. In my mind, theft is still theft, even when it’s online. People warn teens not to say or do anything online that they wouldn’t say or do in person. I believe that applies to crime as well. Maybe some good came from the evidence supplied by Anonymous, but some bad has come from it as well. For example, officials aren’t sure if the pictures and videos have been modified, so they’ll have to sort through them and separate the facts from the fiction. Even then, the information obtained and spread by Anonymous does not prove that the girl was in fact raped. They raised national attention for the case, but other than that, very little was actually accomplished. And what’s to stop Anonymous from abusing its power? Who’s going to stop them from probing our emails, Facebook and Twitter accounts searching for pictures linked to possible crimes? In my mind, the end being a worthy goal doesn’t justify illegal or unethical means. Although I agree that Anonymous had good intentions, its intentions may not always remain good and their actions have shown them for what they are: vigilante hackers. |
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