A turning point for the identity of the Anonymous collective was during the events of the Arab Spring. Anonymous groups first became involved with sympathetic Tunisians over government suppression of the WikiLeaks website. The group understood that there were more pressing issues than just internet censorship occurring in the North African nation: a revolution was brewing, and it was being ignored by the mainstream media. Anonymous released videos and messages to the outside world, RSS feeds were shared and freeware for avoiding cyberpolice was distributed. A series of internationally coordinated DDoS attacks were launched, knocking eight governmental offices offline over a period of days. Operation Egypt involved the Anonymous affiliated group 'Telecomix', who worked with activists to create legal means of promoting free speech and resisting web censorship by the Egyptian government. Anonymous distributed information on ways to get around government restrictions as well as how to handle arrest or reduce the effects of tear gas. When computers were not an option, the group continued its assistance over fax machines. With its involvement in the political and social struggles through a series of revolutions in the Arab world between 2010 and 2013, the presence of Anonymous became recognized internationally as not only a chaotic force for social change and organization, but a real and growing threat to traditional power structures and assumptions. Epic indeed.
David Wagner is an author/musician who splits his time between Oakland, CA and Istanbul, Turkey.
David has published two novels, both available on his website, and as a fan of movies, comics, and genre television, he is happy to be working with WhatCulture as a regular contributor.
