Order of Business: Identifying Key Failures in the System and Proposing Solutions

Okay, this is the biggie. This is what I think we need to be about.

The apathy that comes from the 'masses' is a result of a sense of hopelessness. We need to counter this and mobilize people. WITP has succeeded in attracting attention of people already motivated to get involved, but then has failed in giving them anything to do. We cannot make this mistake.

So we here's how I see it:

1. We need to identify appropriate targets for activism. Targets that can be worked against, brought down, or changed.
   
2. Formulate specific actionable strategies that can be used against these targets.
   

We need to focus on targets that we can formulate a strategy against and achieve some success against within a reasonable amount of time. This will create confidence and momentum to continue to work against those enemies, and draw attention to our cause. What has made Anonymous so popular and successful is the way it has hit high-profile targets with a sense of justice and righteousness. This is something we need to learn from and build upon.

I see this forum as the branch that identifies key targets and motivates Anons to move against those targets and bring about change. I had hoped WITP would provide that function, and perhaps it still can, but right now, they're too busy trying to 'fit in' with Anonymous to focus on anything else.

We don't need to try and fit in with Anonymous. We just need to behave like Anonymous.

I think I can agree that the purpose that has drawn us (or maybe I should just say "me") is to develop and implement a plan of action. We can philosophize all day long, but if it doesn't result in concrete change for the good, then what's the use?

On the other hand, I've always been a great believer in "vision." I think we need to first arrive at an understanding of where we want to get to before we can plot the path to that destination.

I guess I saw WITP as a place to first form that collective vision. Step 1: gather the collective; Step 2: form the vision; Step 3: implement.

Of course, it doesn't appear to have turned out that way...or maybe it has, and I'm (we're?) being impatient.

I think your goal to determine and act against specific targets is part of that longer-term vision, but I'm not sure if we will ever all agree on those "targets" unless we first agree on our vision for the future.

Just some thoughts...it's still early and I'm foggy, but I'd appreciate thoughts/responses/counter-arguments.

Hitting high priority targets requires a lot of muscle, something that we don't particularly have. Being able to attach the name of Anonymous to activism until it becomes synonymous would be a step forward.

I agree that part of the apathy is due to a sense of hopelessness, but it is also due to a sense of inferiority. We have been told since birth that there are always those who know better than us, and we should defer to them. We should act as others teach us, not as how we believe we should act. Individuality is reigned in by a constant sense of dependence. Cooperation is too often given precedence over individual pursuits. We are told to conform and compromise instead of pursuing our goals entirely under our own power, and our power is taken away to ensure that there are very few success stories.

Culture has now moved to the point that we glorify the mundane. (Personal bias against stations like TLC, The Food Network, and shows like Jersey Shore) We are shown that it is not only good to be average, but we must glorify how average we are by displaying the bottom of the barrel. Self-esteem is one thing, but this is ridiculous.

Changing this mentality isn't a feasible goal with the current power at our disposal, but by attaching the ideas of individual power and cooperation that requires no sacrifice to success stories is a step in the right direction. There is currently a small opportunity to support resistance, and I intend to evaluate it today and, if it coincides with Anonymous ideals, lend my individual support in the name and ideals of Anonymous.

Red_Envy wrote:Culture has now moved to the point that we glorify the mundane. (Personal bias against stations like TLC, The Food Network, and shows like Jersey Shore) We are shown that it is not only good to be average, but we must glorify how average we are by displaying the bottom of the barrel. Self-esteem is one thing, but this is ridiculous.

Interesting....

I had always considered shows like Jerry Springer and Jersey Shore were to make people feel superior, and better than what they're seeing on TV. The idea that "Well, I'm a bit lazy, but I'm not THAT bad". So it makes people feel good about themselves.

Red_Envy wrote:Changing this mentality isn't a feasible goal with the current power at our disposal, but by attaching the ideas of individual power and cooperation that requires no sacrifice to success stories is a step in the right direction. There is currently a small opportunity to support resistance, and I intend to evaluate it today and, if it coincides with Anonymous ideals, lend my individual support in the name and ideals of Anonymous.

Have you seen this video before?



Maybe we're to be the first wave, and inspire others to follow. I think that's the widespread draw of WITP.

It's a question of identity- do we favor the role of applied activism organizers or ideological visionaries. I see alot of the problem with witp is because you have a collective of idea-people and wanna-be-anons too eager to take credit for the operations of far more dedicated activists who cared enough to put their IRL freedom on the line for the cause in ways your average plan-ner would never dream of. This invites ridicule and resentment from the core organizers. The problem is not the stratification of different levels of dedication. It is a positive development that anon grow to include various faces or "masks". View it like an onion. Legion contains layers and witp is not the core... AnonOps is closer, 4chan is paradoxically closest to the core (or was historically) but at that depth the social gravity is intense enough to rip itself to shreds like a chaotic meatgrinder, churning out raw undirected anon-identity which expands and cools into more sane forms capable of ethics and morality elswhere. This is fine... the problem is not stratification, but ambiguity and disconnect between the core and the periphery.

This breath of fresh air which is the A.R.I could be really the golden age right now and over the next 2-3 weeks as groupmind crystalizes......... we currently have a blessed window of potentiality to define ourselves.......I'd personally like to strive for an identity based around abstract intellectual thought. I really like the title Anonymous RESEARCH Initiative. To think of ourselves as the "scholars of this anon phenomenon". Scholars are untouchable. There are social privilages that a scholarly academic bubble affords... an impennatrable fortress of free speech that disapears when you start naming targets and applying pressure IRL. I don't even think we should encourage anyone here to wave the banner of Anon, to say "WE ARE ANON, HEAR US ROAR!" That should be almost taboo I think and we should make fun of such battlecries....This is where witp went sour- too many goofballs jumping at the chance to identify as anon when they should have been asking "what is anon and how can we SUPPORT them." If they had at least that much respect they would have thrived. Let's resist that temptation which they could not and win anon's respect by treating It with enough respect to define ourselves *in relation* to them and *in support* of them rather than incorrectly AS them.

Think of the atmosphere here as containing a higher oxygen content than witp, an air that is more condusive to wisdom and intellect? What if this evolved into a resource for sociologists, authors, political philosophers, teachers, historians, etc... A legitimate think-tank beyond any threat of illegality, a place that does not attract unwanted attentiuon from authorities, a place without that sleazy sketchiness, "hacking-backlash" and cointelpro paranoia that anon-posers attract so well....?

Let me put these 2 cents above into a concrete example- I'm sure y'all are familiar with #occupyWallStreet/ DaysofRage. We could take 2 approaches-

1) ["hotblooded"] as "activist organizers" we attempt to direct and influence the flow of traffic into Wall street and propose IRL methods for peaceful protest, give advice for surviving riots + police brutality, try to stir up support and rally the troops, get our hands dirty..... or we could

2) ["coldblooded"] document the phenomenon as it happens, give a portrait of the events to come, expose the Truth of the demonstration and teache society why this is happening, to guide the evolution from afar.... as journalists and as dedicated PsyOp warriors, but not as Anon operatives ourselves, at least as we present ourselves here... our strength could be our unique role as those who document and analyse the evolution of anon over the next 1-2 years... the Watchers, the Wise Ones, the Elders, who have won a respect from both anon and society as Above The Squabble...

these are just ideas.... the window of opportunity to define ourselves is wide open...

ps. but in respect to the question of OP, I think the pressure-points most deserving of "some good ol' TLC", hehe, are Monsanto, Wall Street (#OccupyWallStreet/ DaysofRage), Quantico ("home sweet home" of key wikileaks figure Bradley Manning) and any event in Washington which contradicts Net Nuetrality and the principles of freedom of information online.

Art,

I think you're dead-on with my own thinking on this. I don't want to create an "Operations" section on this forum. I see us as a 'think-tank'. Hopefully the group here may have enough knowledge, skill, time, determination, and reputation, to come up with a set of guides or suggestions for Anons who are primarily interested in getting involved and DOING SOMETHING.

I'm not in a position where I can go out and protest. I'm not an organizer, and I'm not a leader. But I know what I can do, and know what I'm good at. I want to be able to say "Look, here's a lulzy target", giving reasons why, and a potential course of action. Then others can take that input for what it is, and run with it.

Coordinating with other mainstream organizations that are fighting these targets is totally acceptable. We don't always need to be Anonymous to get stuff done, but certainly, there's a certain sexiness that goes with Anonymous that lead to the initial popularity of WITP. Let's just hope they didn't ruin it for everyone...

100% In agreement.

I think it is increasingly important, as numbers of those who wish to be Anonymous grows, for us to come to the realization that there are in fact different paths. But, there is one goal. And that goal is freedom. Not everyone can perform every function.
Just as a body is many parts, just as the government is many sectors, so must any movement that hopes to ever fight against it. There are already sectors of those who wish to be Anonymous that are involved in naming high profile targets and hitting them with efficiancy. There is already a Hacker community of those who wish to be Anonymous. There is already a sector of those who wish to be anonymous dedicated to providing news reports. There is already a sector of those who wish to be Anonymous dedicated to finding potential targets and exploiting them to the ones who decide what targets to choose.

We can effectively oversee all of the activities of those who wish to be Anonymous, respect all of their goals and ideals, and follow the concept they put forward. We can be a collective of information for those who wish to be Anonymous, a central hub so to speak.

One thing we do have to understand is that Anonymous is not an organization. It is an idea. So no one can be a member of Anonymous while everyone who wishes can be Anonymous. As such Anonymous cannot have leaders, but there can be people who lead. Anonymous cannot have followers, but there can be people who follow. Anonymous cannot have teachers. But there are people who can teach.

We must be careful to never allow anyone to know our true identities. Not even each other.
This means you must get a new computer. Do not use internet for any transactions from your I.P. address. Do not use your own internet to access the internet. You must have an I.P. address that is registered in someone else's name at someone else's address. Even if it is registered in an alias to a P.O. box. The easiest way to do this is live in a Hotel that gives you free high speed internet access. Another way to do this is set up a central proxy server to be used for high speed internet by you and all of your neighbors, at a location that is not used by anyone.
Never store pictures, never store information on your computer. Never send pictures or personal information over your I.P. address. This means start up a new e mail address. Start up a new Facebook account. Start up a new twitter account. NEVER reveal your ture identity to anyone online. Never say your real name, never allow anyone else to use your real name. Malevolance is my nickname. Lance is what people call me for short. People that have known me for 20 years and more don't even know my real name. You will not find a picture of me anywhere on my computer and you will find no mention of my real name anywhere on my computer or anywhere online.
Do not trust simply wiping your computer of images and information. Operating systems are designed to retain information. Deleted information is still on your hard drive, it is simply unable to be accessed by the operating system and earmarked to be written over. Information has to be written over 10 or more times before it cannot be extracted from your hard drive any longer. Even if you format your hard drive and break it into peices the FBI can still put it back together and extract information off of it. I suggest investing in a new computer and never identify yourself as anonymous and follow the above suggestions.
These are all concepts I have already practiced since I was a teenager, because my dad taught me to do this. As someone who has been involved in military operations and helped build the internet he understood what it was intended to be used for and what it's potential to be used for was.
Furthermore, be careful what you use on your computer. Many web sites, search engines, social networking sites and programs are designed to open your backdoor ports and send your personal information and your habbits to 3rd party vendors. Microsoft Windows IS A VIRUS. Google IS SPYWARE. Etc.
I suggest learning how to use Linux, installing that on the computer you intend to use. Use the web browser known as Konqueror along with the Stable Tor Button to mask your I.P. activity and prevent cookies. I also suggest using either Peerblock or Wireshark to monitor your port activity. I also suggest having a firewall set up on you computer, connected through a proxy server that has a firewall, and use an internet security contractor to connect to the internet through. And DEFINATELY DO NOT USE AT&T as your ISP (They control your port security). Lastly, the anti virus I suggest is Avast Pro. This is what the Hackers who wish to be Anonymous choose to use, and even takes the security a little further than they do.
I would also suggest getting a phone from Metro PCS set up under an alias name with a fake address. Especially if you intend to use it to check your e mail or access the internet. And especially if you intend to use it to be involved in any protests along with those who wish to be Anonymous. I would also suggest you do not use a smart phone, these can be hacked. Use the oldest technology available and keep your GPS turned off and disabled. Never take a picture with your phone, and especially never send that picture through e mail or messaging of any kind. Never speak or type your true name, work address or home address anywhere near this phone. Never give this number out to anyone who knows your real name. And keep Blue Tooth turned off at all times.

I still haven't gotten through all of your posts, but I had to reply to this one. (Wow! you write a lot! Almost as much as Art) :-)

You clearly know a lot more than I do about security. Some of what you suggest is possible for me, but some is not. Avast is great. I've used it before, but right now using AVG. Linux, ok...I've used it before, but right now I just have Windows boxes, mainly because I need that OS for my business. Proxy? Ok, not using right now, but I could. But doubt I could set up a proxy for all the neighbors to use. I don't use TOR, I don't mask my IP, and I probably don't worry about security anywhere as much as I could.

But let me tell you why, and then PLEASE explain and answer a question I've been wanting to ask but didn't at WITP for fear of being trolled: What is so important about being Anonymous?

Let me explain. I've been on the net, sounds like, probably as long as you. Started out on pre-net bulletin boards, then on the net as soon as it was available (modem dialup through a university connection). I guess I have one thing going for me, which I realized quite a while ago: I have a very common given name. Shoot, even my gynecologist has two of us, so I have to give my DOB so they don't get our charts mixed up. Plus, I have a nickname (also very common) that I go by quite a bit. So finding anything about me IRL is pretty hard. How do you sort me from the noise?

Not to say that, given a warrant, that they couldn't easily trace my IP and find me. But where's the probable cause? I've led a pretty unremarkable life and have pretty much stayed within the law....If I haven't, it probably would be something like figuring my taxes wrong (which I've always paid), or forgetting to wear my seatbelt (I got a ticket for that once). All that above-board behavior may mean I basically have two arms tied behind my back, but it works for me because, quite honestly, I have too many people depending on me to do anything illegal. Nevertheless, since I can write with my teeth, I still believe I can be an asset in ways.

I'm a little old lady living in the middle of Amish country, for gods sake, I really don't believe it would be terribly easy to convince anyone I was really a security threat.

But maybe I am naive. I don't know. I do know that evidence can be fabricated, lies be bought, and public perception is pretty easily manipulated. So it's not like I'm not afraid, but I'm also really trying to evaluate the true threat. I don't know. Maybe I'm in a position to be a good spokesperson for Anonymous. Or maybe I just don't understand the situation. But at some point, I do think Anonymous (or any group, movement, or idea) has to interface with RL, real people, and the outer world. If all of Anonymous refuses to ever meet IRL or exchange personal information which does expose vulnerabilities but also helps to build trust, then I'm afraid that it will stay on the level of the Chans, and never reach the state where real change, lasting change can be achieved.

I wish I could post links in here. That would make this so much easier to show you what is going on in the world around you and why being Anonymous is so important within this process. All I can do for now is tell you what I know. When I am able to post links I will.

Right now there is a government initiative known to the public as homeland security. On the surface this seems like a good idea and it is what protects us from terrorist threat. Right? Wrong. Through the Homeland Security act legislators have effectively removed almost all right to privacy and no longer need probable cause or a warrant to collect information about anyone.

The National Security Agency has set up what are being called Fusion centers. The idea of these fusion centers is to detect suspicious activity and document it and record trends within them. Here's the problem. Suspicious activity has expanded. Anyone who goes to church, is part of any religion. Anyone who supports Ron Paul. Anyone who has a conspiracy theory. Anyone who questions the government system. Anyone who is involved in protest and especially organizes protests. Anyone who wants sovereignty. These are ALL considered suspicious activities and are terrorist threats. Hence, being Anonymous is considered a terrorist threat and suspicious activity.

If you want to understand the main concepts of Anonymous watch V for Vendeta and The first Matrix. These are basically instructional videos for the resistance. The main concept of what is really going on around us, what our purpose is and the importance of maintaining anonymity is explained in these movies perfectly.

As far as your I.P. address. Your I.P. address is provided to you by your Internet Service Provider. Your name, e mail address, address and more is all available simply by having your I.P. address. There is no amount of hiding or security that can save you if your I.P. address is registered to your address and in your name.

Internet Protocol is based on a system called the OSI model that was established by the ISO and was made law by the IEEE. This OSI model dictates that a 7 layor packeting system be used to transfer information from computer to computer back and forth. In order for this transfer model to work your I.P. address must be transfered, along with port information etc. An I.P. masking "program" does not stop this from happening. It merely encrypts your I.P. address so that no one can figure out what it is.

In fact, if you send me a private e mail I can extract your I.P. address from the code written in that e mail. I can then run your I.P. address through a free internet website that will give me your e mail address, your full name, your address, what city, state and country you live in etc.

Furthermore, using your I.P. address I can remotely enter in through your backdoor ports and extract information from your hardrive at will. There is no information that has EVER been on your computer, or transfered over the internet that is sacred. Windows operating system is designed to store this information even after having been deleted to allow FBI, Local law enforcement and 3rd party vendors to access every key stroke you have ever made on your computer.

Cookie transfer was designed to make it easier for your computer to remember how to communicate with specific networks and find the pages you are looking at. When you press the back button on your browser for example. The problem is, it is these cookies that are used to determine your "trends" on the internet and trace your online activities.

Also, if you are interested you may try watching the second Matrix. Another good movie for the concepts of what is going on is The Last Air Bender.
The concept of a people who are allowed to use tools and supress the other peoples of the world from ebing able to use those tools themselves and by doing this they rule the world.
How does this corolate to our situation? Again, I wish I could post links. Morality, propiganda, indoctrination.
We are taught violence is never the answer. So they call violence, subduing a suspect.
We are taught kidknapping is wrong. So they call it detainment.
We are taught killing is wrong. So, they call it the death penalty and war.
We are taught theft is wrong. So they call it tax.
By giving us one word for an action and telling us it is wrong, they can then perform that same action under the disguise of a different word and effectively rule us with tools that they are armed with and we are not.

ravenpaige wrote:But let me tell you why, and then PLEASE explain and answer a question I've been wanting to ask but didn't at WITP for fear of being trolled: What is so important about being Anonymous?

If you're thinking you're hiding from the government or other intelligence gathering agencies, you're not.

I always treated Anonymous as about leaving your ego at the door, and that 'pure ideas' are at the core of Anonymous.

In a practical sense, getting doxed or trolled IRL is probably the best reason to be anonymous:
http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/jessi-slaughter

Really though, a little bit of common sense to keep the script kiddies from hacking you is the simplest point. Creating a bit of security and separation from your personal identity, so that other Anons don't hammer you too hard, is probably the main reason. Also, in the Chanology days, they wanted to avoid the legal clout of Scientology's lawyers....