Anonymous Unmasked?
By Asha

They call themselves ‘Anonymous’ and see themselves as internet hacktivists.  They first shot into the world’s consciousness in 2010 after launching Operation Payback in the form of Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks against some Copyright organizations and law firms.

By the end of 2010, every major media organization had reported on how Anonymous had launched DDoS attacks against major financial power houses like PayPal, Visa, Mastercard and Amazon for refusing to do business with Wikileaks.  By Dec 2010, Anonymous had made their mark as one of the most powerful forces on the internet. They had cutting edge cyber security skills to preserve their anonymity even as their hactivism had touched major corporations in USA and Europe and dictatorships in countries like Tunisia and Yemen.

Could Anonymous now have been unmasked?

America’s most powerful blog group Gawker says that, they along with the FBI, have been handed over the identities of the key people behind Anonymous. Gawker is reporting

“
Dissident members of the internet hacktivist group Anonymous, tired of what they call the mob's "unpatriotic" ways, have provided law enforcement with chat logs of the group's leadership planning crimes, as well as what they say are key members' identities. They also gave them to us.

The chat logs, which cover several days in February immediately after the group hacked into internet security firm HBGary's e-mail accounts, offer a fascinating look inside the hivemind's organization and culture.

They demonstrate that, contrary to the repeated claims of Anonymous members, the group does have ad hoc leaders, with certain members doling out tasks, selecting targets, and even dressing down members who get out of line. They prove that, contrary to their claims, at least one of the hackers responsible for releasing the publishing the e-mail addresses of thousands of Gawker users last December is in fact a key member of Anonymous.
…
“

The Gawker article is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand this internet phenomenon.