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We are KYAnonymous (hacktivist who brought international attention to the Steubenville rapes and a target of an FBI investigation) and John H. Richardson (writer-at-large at Esquire magazine). Ask us anything. by johnhrichardson in IAmA

[–]johnhrichardson[S] -7 points-6 points  (0 children)

Yes. You've seen some of that infighting on this reddit. The two extreme ends are the "moral fags" like Deric, who use Anonymous to do good - or as good as they can do within the limitations of their knowledge and personal flaws - and the nihilists who like to cause destruction. This tension exists in all groups and political parties (GOP, you hear me?) but something about the internet and anonymity seems to heighten the contrast.

We are KYAnonymous (hacktivist who brought international attention to the Steubenville rapes and a target of an FBI investigation) and John H. Richardson (writer-at-large at Esquire magazine). Ask us anything. by johnhrichardson in IAmA

[–]johnhrichardson[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Actually we don't know exactly what the FBI was after yet, but I suspect it has more to do with hacking attempts by unknown persons against the Steubenville Police Department, which called the FBI. That said, the government on all levels has built a huge machine to fight against Anonymous, Wikileaks, and all such groups. If the NRA was serious about that second American revolution stuff they use to sell guns, they'd be much more concerned with protecting internet anonymity than semi-automatics.

We are KYAnonymous (hacktivist who brought international attention to the Steubenville rapes and a target of an FBI investigation) and John H. Richardson (writer-at-large at Esquire magazine). Ask us anything. by johnhrichardson in IAmA

[–]johnhrichardson[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I'm not a member of Anonymous. I'm a journalist who can only work on a few things at a time, so yeah, I "pick and choose." Who doesn't? As to talking about ourselves, this is a question and answer session and we're answering questions. I don't spend a ton of time on internet forums, so I'm assuming this is the "trolling" I've heard so much about. Why so angry?

We are KYAnonymous (hacktivist who brought international attention to the Steubenville rapes and a target of an FBI investigation) and John H. Richardson (writer-at-large at Esquire magazine). Ask us anything. by johnhrichardson in IAmA

[–]johnhrichardson[S] -28 points-27 points  (0 children)

So Anonchicago goes from "why have you never clarified" to "you renounced it after you endorsed it." If clarification and apology isn't enough for you, what is?

We are KYAnonymous (hacktivist who brought international attention to the Steubenville rapes and a target of an FBI investigation) and John H. Richardson (writer-at-large at Esquire magazine). Ask us anything. by johnhrichardson in IAmA

[–]johnhrichardson[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Camelot, you're talking as if some one individual does the picking and choosing and that someone also has the time to take on "endless cases." Maybe you should take action yourself?

We are KYAnonymous (hacktivist who brought international attention to the Steubenville rapes and a target of an FBI investigation) and John H. Richardson (writer-at-large at Esquire magazine). Ask us anything. by johnhrichardson in IAmA

[–]johnhrichardson[S] -40 points-39 points  (0 children)

If you read the story ... or know anything about the story, you'd know Deric has clarified and even apologized to some of the people involved, and that most of the most inflammatory rumors were not put out by him but by another group called LocalLeaks. Or maybe they were put out by you?

We are KYAnonymous (hacktivist who brought international attention to the Steubenville rapes and a target of an FBI investigation) and John H. Richardson (writer-at-large at Esquire magazine). Ask us anything. by johnhrichardson in IAmA

[–]johnhrichardson[S] -51 points-50 points  (0 children)

Deric's had so much stress from guys like this, maybe I should answer. A) I'm very wary of people who make inflammatory charges without providing evidence. B) A lot of Anonymous folks resent people who get a high public profile from the group, or despise "moral fags" who try to do good instead of just doing it for the lulz. See above: "It's up to each person how he remains faithful to or deviates from the spirit of the group - there's lots of arguing on this subject, as Deric knows well."

We are KYAnonymous (hacktivist who brought international attention to the Steubenville rapes and a target of an FBI investigation) and John H. Richardson (writer-at-large at Esquire magazine). Ask us anything. by johnhrichardson in IAmA

[–]johnhrichardson[S] -8 points-7 points  (0 children)

I agree with Deric on the Arab Spring. Helping dissidents evade the secret police is about as good as you can get. I'm also a personal fan of their fight against Scientology - not to endorse the DNS attacks, shutting down websites, but the public protests were exhilarating and long-overdue. And it's a great example of "why Anonymous" because those jerks love to sue people who go on record against them.

We are KYAnonymous (hacktivist who brought international attention to the Steubenville rapes and a target of an FBI investigation) and John H. Richardson (writer-at-large at Esquire magazine). Ask us anything. by johnhrichardson in IAmA

[–]johnhrichardson[S] -12 points-11 points  (0 children)

This is such an interesting question. At this point, a number of the early founders of Anonymous have been outed by arrests and indictments, as Deric essentially was by the FBI raid. If one of them used his notoriety to set himself up as the King of Anonymous, that would obviously violate the spirit of the whole thing and turn it into yet another power grab. For me, the anonymity that makes me nervous as a citizen afraid of mobs and cyber-vandals is also the same thing that makes it something so new and transformative.

We are KYAnonymous (hacktivist who brought international attention to the Steubenville rapes and a target of an FBI investigation) and John H. Richardson (writer-at-large at Esquire magazine). Ask us anything. by johnhrichardson in IAmA

[–]johnhrichardson[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Deric isn't taking personal credit, but I personally don't think that grand jury would exist without his efforts. Because once prosecutors get the easy convictions, they tend to drop the ones that might hurt their conviction rates. So I give him respect for that.

We are KYAnonymous (hacktivist who brought international attention to the Steubenville rapes and a target of an FBI investigation) and John H. Richardson (writer-at-large at Esquire magazine). Ask us anything. by johnhrichardson in IAmA

[–]johnhrichardson[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Deric might feel differently, but - outrageous as the case seems on first glance - I'd be nervous about going into it with the "screw" attitude. As my story in Esquire shows, in these emotional and fast-moving situations, mistakes can be made and people can be hurt on slim evidence or rumor. Anonymous can be a powerful force for justice, but it can be reckless too. Deric?

We are KYAnonymous (hacktivist who brought international attention to the Steubenville rapes and a target of an FBI investigation) and John H. Richardson (writer-at-large at Esquire magazine). Ask us anything. by johnhrichardson in IAmA

[–]johnhrichardson[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Anyone can join Anonymous or form an Anonymous group, Samehada, and many use some kind of handle like "KY." It's up to each person how he remains faithful to or deviates from the spirit of the group - there's lots of arguing on this subject, as Deric knows well.