Anonymous have once again been making headlines, as the group declared ‘cyberwar’ on Russia.

In retaliation to Russia’s attack on Ukraine, Anonymous breached the Russian Ministry of Defence’s database and posted it online for the world to see.

The members of the decentralised online community, known as Anons, can be identified by their striking masks depicting a grinning white face with a black goatee.

But what exactly is Anonymous, and what is the meaning behind the mask?

Who are Anonymous?

As the name suggests, no one knows exactly who Anonymous are, as the identity of members is kept strictly confidential.

Anonymous is an international group of activist hackers (known as ‘hacktivists’) primarily known for its various cyberattacks against several governments, institutions, and big businesses.

Although the exact origin is unknown, it is believed to have started in 2003 on the imageboard 4chan, with users of the site coming together after becoming increasingly disgruntled with modern politics.

In its early form, the concept of Anonymous was adopted by a decentralised online community aiming coordinated virtual attacks toward various loosely-agreed targets, primarily for the sake of entertainment.

The slowly group gained momentum, and in 2008, they launched a series of protests, pranks, and hacks targeting the Church of Scientology – known as Project Chanology.

Over time, Anonymous has grown, taking on larger targets such as PayPal, MasterCard, Visa, Sony, as well as government agencies of the United States, Israel, Tunisia, Uganda – and now Russia.

Dozens of people have been arrested for involvement in the group’s coordinated cyberattacks in countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, the Netherlands, Spain, India, and Turkey.

In 2012, Time called Anonymous one of the ‘100 most influential people’ in the world.

What is the story behind the Anonymous mask?

What is now popularly known as the Anonymous mask is the creation of illustrator David Lloyd. V for Vendetta, a 1980s comic series written by Alan Moore and Lloyd, is about a masked rebel named V who fights a fascist future British government.

Lloyd’s inspiration for the mask was England’s most famous rebel: Guy Fawkes, a conspirator in the 1605 Gunpowder Plot, a scheme to blow up Parliament and King James I.

In 2005, the comics were adapted into a blockbuster film featuring Natalie Portman. In the movie, Portman plays V’s protégé Evey who eventually takes up V’s mantle following his death.

In 2008, the mask was appropriated by the hacker group Anonymous as its public face for a protest against Scientology.

The striking imagery caught the imagination of other hackers, inspiring them to don their own masks.

Popularity grew, and the now-iconic mask has become a timeless symbol for rebellion.

Source: https://metro.co.uk/2022/02/26/who-are-anonymous-and-what-does-the-mask-symbolise-16178468/

This guys are good!

Not many people know that the "Guy Fawkes" masks was popularised by DC comics Movie "V for Vendetta" and Warner Bros gets a percentage from every masks sold and only them have the right to make it the mask. That's to say, it's copyrighted.

Guy Fawkes, a man we need in our generation.
The origin of the word guy which we call eachother but non of us has the courage of the original Guy

Proud of you guys
For fighting for humanity.
Naija yahoo boys should learn from them, and use the knowledge to fight injustice.

Putin don buy market

Putin himself na hacker. But the hunter has become the hunted lmaooo

I pray Liverpool trash the Putin boys called Chelshit today.

Stoopid club can't say much Cox of their owner's tie with the fvcktard bully called Putin.

Okl

They are good

Anonymous started from 4Chan.


Slawormiir and his fellow bombers on Nairaland should start one too...

---

OP sef....

How can you meet 'Anonymous'?

CoronaVirusPro:
This These guys are good!

Props to them playing thier own part.

Nigerians yahoo boy Na to hack Facebook account

Mtcheeew

Lol.After seeing the source of this news

https://metro.co.uk/2022/02/26/who-are-anonymous-and-what-does-the-mask-symbolise-16178468/

I can safely conclude that its ...Fake news and propaganda....
The west are really active in their media outlet...
That was how they claimed that 13 Ukrainian soldiers refused to surrender and were killed, only to find out that the soldiers surrendered to the Russians....
Hahahahahah..

Sadly.. people will be believe this!

Laughing..

USA has something to gain from making alot of these noise..

USA must be pushing Ukraine for them to gain something

Shit is getting real everyday.

This group is an alliance of world mercenaries.

Ok

That's why internet fraud will not cease, the authorities are involved

Very Funny

Meet them, how and why? Are they of importance to me? It’s like saying “meet Nairalanders” of which I know life is better off not knowing anybody here.

Mscheew. Stupid news.

Russia is bleeding

God please let me hv a job in anonymous company

I applied two years ago
Please God

Amen

So what did they reveal?

,

Putin’s boys aren’t coming to dispel this are a mere rumor

Ok

Bahd guys.
That our resident NL scammer de learn work where these guys dey.