#Media RSS feed WikiLeaks RSS feed Technology RSS feed Anonymous RSS feed Internet RSS feed Hacking RSS feed Glenn Greenwald on security and liberty RSS feed Comment is free RSS feed Turn autoplay off Turn autoplay on Please activate cookies in order to turn autoplay off * Jump to content [s] * Jump to comments [c] * Jump to site navigation [0] * Jump to search [4] * Terms and conditions [8] Edition: UK * US * Your profile * Your details * Your comments * Your clippings * Your lists Profile Mobile About us * About us * Contact us * Press office * Guardian Print Centre * Guardian readers' editor * Observer readers' editor * Terms of service * Privacy policy * Advertising guide * Digital archive * Digital edition * Guardian Weekly * Buy Guardian and Observer photos Today's paper * The Guardian * G2 features * Comment and debate * Editorials, letters and corrections * Obituaries * Other lives * Sport * SocietyGuardian * Subscribe Subscribe * Subscribe to the Guardian * iPhone app * iPad edition * Kindle * Extra * Guardian Weekly * Digital edition * All our services The Guardian home ____________________ [Comment is free] Search * News * Sport * Comment * Culture * Business * Money * Life & style * Travel * Environment * Tech * TV * Video * Dating * Offers * Jobs * Comment is free * Glenn Greenwald on security and liberty Series: Glenn Greenwald on security and liberty Previous | Next | Index Glenn Greenwald on security and liberty Prosecution of Anonymous activists highlights war for Internet control The US and allied governments exploit both law and cyber-attacks as a weapon to punish groups that challenge it * Share * Tweet this * * * Email * Glenn Greenwald * + Glenn Greenwald + guardian.co.uk, Friday 23 November 2012 13.53 GMT * Jump to comments (…) Anonymous message to Americans over Cispa From a video posted by the Anonymous hacking collective urging the US public to stop the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection act (Cispa) in the Senate Photograph: YouTube/TheAnonMessage Whatever one thinks of WikiLeaks, it is an indisputable fact that the group has never been charged by any government with any crime, let alone convicted of one. Despite that crucial fact, WikiLeaks has been crippled by a staggering array of extra-judicial punishment imposed either directly by the US and allied governments or with their clear acquiescence. In December 2010, after WikiLeaks began publishing US diplomatic cables, it was hit with cyber-attacks so massive that the group was "forced to change its web address after the company providing its domain name cut off service". After public demands and private pressure from US Senate Homeland Security Chairman Joe Lieberman, Amazon then cut off all hosting services to WikiLeaks. Sophisticated cyber-attacks shortly thereafter forced the group entirely off all US website services when its California-based internet hosting provider, Everydns, terminated service, "saying it did so to prevent its other 500,000 customers of being affected by the intense cyber-attacks targeted at WikiLeaks". Meanwhile, Chairman Lieberman's public pressure, by design, also led to the destruction of WikiLeaks' ability to collect funds from supporters. Master Card and Visa both announced they would refuse to process payments to the group, as did America's largest financial institution, Bank of America. Paypal not only did the same but froze all funds already in WikiLeaks' accounts (almost two years later, a court in Iceland ruled that a Visa payment processor violated contract law by cutting of those services). On several occasions in both 2011 and 2012, WikiLeaks was prevented from remaining online by cyber-attacks. Over the past two years, then, this group - convicted of no crime but engaged in pathbreaking journalism that produced more scoops than all other media outlets combined and received numerous journalism awards - has been effectively prevented from functioning, receiving funds, or even maintaining a presence on US internet servers. While it's unproven what direct role the US government played in these actions, it is unquestionably clear that a top US Senator successfully pressured private corporations to cut off its finances, and more important, neither the US nor its allies have taken any steps to discover and apprehend the perpetrators of the cyber-attacks that repeatedly targeted WikiLeaks, nor did it even investigate those attacks. The ominous implications of all this have never been fully appreciated. Recall that all the way back in 2008, the Pentagon prepared a secret report (ultimately leaked to WikiLeaks) that decreed WikiLeaks to be a "threat to the US Army" and an enemy of the US. That report plotted tactics that "would damage and potentially destroy" its ability to function. That is exactly what came to pass. So this was a case where the US government - through affirmative steps and/or approving acquiescence to criminal, sophisticated cyber-attacks - all but destroyed the ability of an adversarial group, convicted of no crime, to function on the internet. Who would possibly consider that power anything other than extremely disturbing? What possible political value can the internet serve, or journalism generally, if the US government, outside the confines of law, is empowered - as it did here - to cripple the operating abilities of any group which meaningfully challenges its policies and exposes its wrongdoing? But what makes all of this even more significant is the vastly disparate treatment of those who launched far less sophisticated and damaging attacks at those corporations which complied with US demands and cut off all funding and other services to WikiLeaks. Acting in the name of Anonymous, a handful of activists targeted those companies with simple "denial of service" attacks, ones that impeded the operations of those corporate websites for a few hours. In stark contrast to the far more significant attacks aimed at WikiLeaks, these attacks, designed to protest the treatment of WikiLeaks, spawned a global manhunt by western nations and, ultimately, the arrest of dozens of mostly young alleged hackers, four of whom are now on trial in London: "Four activists from the hackers collective Anonymous caused multimillion-pound losses to a number of firms in revenge for the backlash against WikiLeaks, a court has heard. "Using the name Operation Payback, the four flooded websites belonging to companies including PayPal and Ministry of Sound with messages and requests in order to bring them down. . . .The self-styled 'hactivists' caused losses worth more than £3.5m at PayPal and caused sites belonging to MasterCard and the recording industry to go offline. "Three of the group have admitted their role in the conspiracy. Christopher Weatherhead, 22, a student at Northampton University, is on trial at Southwark crown court accused of being 'part of a small cabal of leaders' of the cyber-attacks. . . . "The four used a free internet tool called Low Orbit Ion Canon (LOIC) as a 'destructive cyber weapon', the court heard. 'Once downloaded, the LOIC could be used to attack by sending internet traffic to a target computer,' [the prosecutor] said. 'When the volume of traffic sent to a computer becomes too much for it to handle it would suffer a denial of service. The more LOICs used, therefore, to attack a target computer, the more likely that a denial of service will take place.'" Last year, the FBI arrested 16 people in the US in connection with similar attacks on Master Card, Visa and Amazon, and charged them with crimes that carry 10-year prison terms. The issue here is not whether Anonymous activists can be rightfully prosecuted: acts of civil disobedience, by definition, are violations of the law designed to protest or create a cost for injustices. The issue is how selectively these cyber-attack laws are enforced: massive cyber-attacks aimed at a group critical of US policy (WikiLeaks) were either perpetrated by the US government or retroactively sanctioned by it, while relatively trivial, largely symbolic attacks in defense of the group were punished with the harshest possible application of law enforcement resources and threats of criminal punishment. That the US government largely succeeded in using extra-legal and extra-judicial means to cripple an adverse journalistic outlet is a truly consequential episode: nobody, regardless of one's views on WikiLeaks, should want any government to have that power. But the manifestly overzealous prosecutions of Anonymous activists, in stark contrast to the (at best) indifference to the attacks on WikiLeaks, makes all of that even worse. In line with its unprecedented persecution of whistleblowers generally, this is yet another case of the US government exploiting the force of law to entrench its own power and shield its actions from scrutiny. Disclosure Over the past couple months, I've been involved in discussions regarding the formation of a new organization designed to support independent journalists and groups such as WikiLeaks under attack by the US and other governments, one that would provide funding and a network for other means of support to enable them to operate. My role would be limited to unpaid board member. The group is not yet formed and my participation is only in the preliminary discussion stages, but disclosure still seems appropriate given the topic I'm writing about here. If and when this evolves further, as I hope it will, I will certainly write more on it. * Print this Print this * Share * Contact us Send to a friend Close this popup Sender's name ____________________ Recipient's email address ____________________ Send Your IP address will be logged Share Close this popup Short link for this page: http://gu.com/p/3c3ca * StumbleUpon * reddit * Tumblr * Digg * LinkedIn * Google Bookmarks * del.icio.us * livejournal * Facebook * Twitter Contact us Close this popup * Report errors or inaccuracies: reader@guardian.co.uk * Letters for publication should be sent to: letters@guardian.co.uk * If you need help using the site: userhelp@guardian.co.uk * Call the main Guardian and Observer switchboard: +44 (0)20 3353 2000 * + Advertising guide + License/buy our content Article history About this article Close this popup Prosecution of Anonymous activists highlights war for Internet control | Glenn Greenwald This article was published on guardian.co.uk at 13.53 GMT on Friday 23 November 2012. It was last modified at 00.43 GMT on Sunday 25 November 2012. Media * WikiLeaks Technology * Anonymous · * Internet · * Hacking Series * Glenn Greenwald on security and liberty More from Comment is free on Media * WikiLeaks Technology * Anonymous · * Internet · * Hacking Series * Glenn Greenwald on security and liberty Buy WikiLeaks: Inside Julian Assange's war on secrecy WikiLeaks 1. Buy the book (UK) 2. Buy the book (US) 3. Buy the ebook * Share * Tweet this * * * Email Comments Click here to join the discussion. We can't load the discussion on guardian.co.uk because you don't have JavaScript enabled. About this series * A critical, campaigning column on vital issues of civil rights, freedom of information and justice – and their enemies, from the award-winning journalist, former constitutional litigator and author of three New York Times bestsellers. Follow @ggreenwald on Twitter or email him at glenn.greenwald@guardiannews.com Today's best video * PIERS MORGAN FIRES MACHINE GUN AT SHOOTING RANGE Piers Morgan fires machine gun Piers Morgan fires a Browning M2 machine gun at a firing range in Texas on his CNN show * Egyptian goalkeeper misses ball completely to concede woeful goal - video Egyptian goalkeeper misses ball to concede woeful goal Goalkeeper Amir Tawfik slips up after an innocuous through-ball * King Richard III King Richard III's face recreated from skull Facial reconstruction is possible after discovery of remains under Leicester car park * Rugby World Cup qualifier between Belgium and Georgia turns into huge brawl - video Rugby World Cup qualifier descends into brawl Things get out of hand in match between Belgium and Georgia On Comment is free * Most viewed * Latest Last 24 hours 1. [Barack-Obama-009.jpg] 1. Chilling legal memo from Obama DOJ justifies assassination of US citizens | Glenn Greenwald 2. 2. Tory metrosexuals won the gay marriage vote – but at what cost? | Simon Jenkins 3. 3. Tips are not optional, they are how waiters get paid in America | Chelsea Welch 4. 4. Can Googling be racist? | Arwa Mahdawi 5. 5. Richard III, scoliosis and me | Julie Myerson 6. More most viewed Last 24 hours 1. [kavanaghpowerade_140x84.jpg] 1. How I got the flame retardant out of my Gatorade | Sarah Kavanagh 2. 2. Gay marriage: what the Tories are pushing is conformity not equality | Suzanne Moore 3. 3. Why the Tories need a meritocrat's manifesto | Dominic Raab 4. 4. Overworked NHS nurses not to blame for Mid Staffs scandal | Peter Carter 5. 5. The Boy Scouts need to move beyond the gay issue, for their own sake | NYC scoutmaster 6. All today's stories IFRAME: http://assets.simplifydigital.co.uk/guardian/select/widget_premium_bb.h tm Guardian Bookshop This week's bestsellers 1. Examined Life 1. Examined Life by Stephen Grosz £11.99 2. 2. Future by Al Gore £18.00 3. 3. Return of a King by William Dalrymple £20.00 4. 4. Universe within by Neil Shubin £14.99 5. 5. Stag's Leap by Sharon Olds £8.00 Search the Guardian bookshop ____________________ (BUTTON) Search comment is free… Latest posts * Sarah Kavanagh 19min ago How I got the flame retardant out of my Gatorade Sarah Kavanagh: When I found my favourite sports drink had brominated vegetable oil in it, I started a petition. Now PepsiCo has ditched BVO * Suzanne Moore 21min ago Gay marriage: what the Tories are pushing is conformity not equality Suzanne Moore: I don't begrudge anyone the right to join this club. But why would they want to? Comment from the paper * Dominic Raab: Why the Tories need a meritocrat's manifesto * John Studzinski: Germany is right: there is no right to profit, but the right to work is essential * Steve Bell: Steve Bell on the gay marriage vote - cartoon Bestsellers from our Guardian stores * halogenheaters - guardianessentials - promo Halogen heaters Halogen heaters for flexible, immediate warmth. Get two for just £44.99 plus p&p. More from Guardian Essentials * duffels - guardianhomewares - promo Duffel coats Handmade in England, our Duffel coats are based on the original Montgomery design. More from Guardian Essentials Sponsored feature guardian jobs Find the latest jobs in your sector: * Arts & heritage * Charities * Education * Environment * Government * Graduate * Health * Marketing & PR * Media * Sales * Senior executive * Social care Browse all jobs media_______________ Search Manager, Marketing International New Media (EMEA) London | £Competitive NBC UNIVERSAL Top stories in this section Top videos Most popular Today in pictures * sports peronality 2012 BBC Sports Personality of the Year – in pictures Bradley Wiggins capped his remarkable sporting year by taking home the big prize at the ceremony in London * Martin Parr's M Video Christmas party photograph Dinner, dusk and dancing Russians: my best winter shot A glass of wine with a rough sleeper, Santa in trunks, a thousand partying Muscovites … in a My Best Shot special, top photographers pick the image that sums up winter for them * Kimon, a long-tailed monkey grooms a kitten, whom, she treats as her baby, Bintan Island, Indonesia Monkey adopts kitten – in pictures Kimon, an eight-year-old pet female long-tailed monkey, treats a kitten as her baby in Bintan Island, Indonesia More from Glenn Greenwald on security and liberty A critical, campaigning column on vital issues of civil rights, freedom of information and justice – and their enemies, from the award-winning journalist, former constitutional litigator and author of three New York Times bestsellers. Follow @ggreenwald on Twitter or email him at glenn.greenwald@ guardiannews.com * Latest: 5 Feb 2013: Chilling legal memo from Obama DOJ justifies assassination of US citizens | Glenn Greenwald * Next: 26 Nov 2012: Obama: a GOP president should have rules limiting the kill list | Glenn Greenwald * Previous: 21 Nov 2012: The 'both-sides-are-awful' dismissal of Gaza ignores the key role of the US government | Glenn Greenwald Glenn Greenwald on security and liberty index * License/buy our content | * Privacy policy | * Terms & conditions | * Advertising guide | * Accessibility | * A-Z index | * Inside the Guardian blog | * About us | * Work for us | * Join our dating site today * © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. * Share * Tweet this * * Quantcast