Anonymous avenges MegaUpload shutdown by taking out DOJ, Universal Music, MPAA, RIAA and US Copyright Office websites

Anonymous, a group of hacker activists commonly referred to as 'hacktivists,'  has gained notoriety over the past several years for threatening and then often following through with hacking attacks on institutions or websites that infringe on individual rights. In the wake of the recent Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA) protests yesterday by Wikipedia and other major websites, the latest battle in the war between anti-piracy enforcers and internet freedom advocates involves a showdown between Anonymous and the US Department of Justice (DOJ). What follows occurred within the span of a few hours and is reminiscent of the spy-vs-spy antics of a fictional thriller.

The FBI, in a demonstration that seems rather poor timing given yesterday's protests, charged seven individuals connected to Megaupload.com with "massive worldwide online piracy" that, according to a Justice Department press release Thursday, caused damages in excess of $500 million and led to more than $175 million in profits. Arrests in New Zealand included 'Kim Dotcom,' the alleged leader of the piracy ring, along with associates Finn Batato, Mathias Ortmann and Bram van der Kolk.  The other three alleged piracy ring members remain at large. 

Soon thereafter, the DOJ shut down popular illegal file-sharing websites MegaUpload, MegaVideo, and several other sites. Anonymous responded in turn by taking down the websites of the DOJ, Universal Music, Music Picture Association of America (MPAA), Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the US Copyright Office within an hour. Using their signature motto 'Expect Us' that declares their intent to strike against oppressors, Anonymous announced on their Twitter a few hours ago, "ALERT: U.S. Justice stole all your megaupload uploaded files. NO FREEDOM, EXPECT U.S.!" 

Soon thereafter, the dominoes began to fall, much as they did in the V for Vendetta movie where the protagonist dons a Guy Fawkes mask to combat a totalitarian regime. This mask is often worn by Anonymous supporters to symbolize their rebellion against tyranny. Rallying forth, Anonymous' Twitter declared, "This is one of those 'First they came for...' moments. Join Us & Fight for Internet Freedom! #Megaupload," alluding to the famous Martin Niemöller quote about fighting persecution before it reaches your doorstep. 

While it may be amusing to watch the antics of a rogue hacker group lighting up government and corporate websites like X-Wings blowing up an Imperial Star Destroyer in Star Wars, the very real legislative possibility of SOPA and PIPA going into effect have drawn severe lines in the sand for internet freedom. Many may see SOPA / PIPA as reasonable wards against copyright infringement, but the fight is far less about IP protection than about old media vs. new media.

Ron Paul, one of the most popular Libertarian candidates, often espouses individual liberty and severely limited governmental powers. Anonymous retweeted his support yesterday for the protest, "The internet must remain free! Proud to see so many taking a stand today. Oppose #SOPA and #PIPA! #tcot #tlot #GOP2012" in the midst of its tweeting this afternoon on the attacks against DOJ and corporations.  

Over 5,635 people have reportedly participated, as Anonymous tweeted, "The Largest Attack Ever by Anonymous - 5,635 People Confirmed Using #LOIC to Bring Down Sites! #Anonymous" in a reference to Low Orbit Ion Cannon (LOIC) attacks that use an application developed by hackers affiliated with 4Chan, another website very popular among hacktivist circles. LOIC is an open source network stress testing and denial-of-service attack application that, rather than hacking websites, overloads their capacity when used en masse by thousands. Today's takedown of DOJ, the US Copyright Office and entertainment websites was done by applying LOIC pressure to their servers.

The mounting pressure seems to have affected even SOPA / PIPA advocates. Senator Lamar Smith, the sponsor of the bill, began backing away, saying he was willing to remove a provision in the bill that would permit companies to shut other companies down for alleged copyright infringement. Senator Patrick Leahy, the main proponent of PIPA, also is suddenly willing to revise portions of the proposed legislation. The White House has also stated, "While we believe that online piracy by foreign websites is a serious problem that requires a serious legislative response, we will not support legislation that reduces freedom of expression, increases cybersecurity risk, or undermines the dynamic, innovative global Internet." This prompted Hollywood moguls to decry the President's opinion as unfair and out of touch.

Corynne McSheery, an intellectual property attorney for the Electronic Frontiers Foundation, summarized his views on geek.com by saying, "We are glad to see Sen. Leahy is recognizing, at last, some of the serious problems with this legislation. But a half-hearted promise to investigate the consequence of some of the provisions (which should have happened before this bill was even proposed) falls far short of what is needed."

The consensus seems to be building quite steadily that before SOPA and PIPA are finalized, they will require some very serious limitations on the powers of corporations and the government to police websites. Consider the harm that such legislation would cause to smaller and newer media, who may unwittingly commit copyright 'infringement' due to users posting questionable content, only to be destroyed by larger competitors. Consider the anti-innovative time wasted on cautiously peering around every nook and cranny for a potential landmine. Consider how fraught the intellectual property world already is with patent trolling and money-draining lawsuits. Consider then, the direction that innovative thinking is shifting towards, with crowdsourcing and open source technology.

Much of the animosity from old media stems from the threat that the evolution of new business models on the internet present; old media has lost considerable influence given the ease with which readers can find information now and pool their intellectual resources. So, while piracy may be the stated target, there are far less noble currents of economic control surging beneath the surface.

Might Anonymous' actions be extreme? Perhaps. Might SOPA and PIPA contain necessary protections against copyright infringement? Perhaps. But the ramifications and the negatives of protectionist legislation would only harm the economy, our innovative drive and the entrepreneurs who actually create jobs rather than ship them overseas like the bigger conglomerates. Judging by Spain's version of SOPA, known as Sinde, this is not just an issue for the United States -- this is a battle for internet freedom and new media that will rage globally.

The Anonymous tweets, meanwhile, continued to declare their victory: