“We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists” is a documentary that takes us inside the world of Anonymous, the radical “hacktivist” collective that has redefined civil disobedience for the digital age. The film explores the historical roots of early hacktivist groups like Cult of the Dead Cow and Electronic Disturbance Theater and then follows Anonymous from 4chan to a full-blown movement with a global reach, one of the most transformative of our time.
We are currently shooting and editing at Luminant Media in Los Angeles.
Another one got caught today, it’s all over the papers. “Teenager Arrested in Computer Crime Scandal”, “Hacker Arrested after Bank Tampering”… Damn kids. They’re all alike.
But did you, in your three-piece psychology and 1950’s technobrain, ever take a look behind the eyes of the hacker? Did you ever wonder what made him tick, what forces shaped him, what may have molded him? I am a hacker, enter my world… Mine is a world that begins with school… I’m smarter than most of the other kids, this crap they teach us bores me… Damn underachiever. They’re all alike.
I’m in junior high or high school. I’ve listened to teachers explain for the fifteenth time how to reduce a fraction. I understand it. “No, Ms. Smith, I didn’t show my work. I did it in my head…” Damn kid. Probably copied it.
They’re all alike. I made a discovery today. I found a computer. Wait a second, this is cool. It does what I want it to. If it makes a mistake, it’s because I screwed it up. Not because it doesn’t like me… Or feels threatened by me… Or thinks I’m a smart ass… Or doesn’t like teaching and shouldn’t be here… Damn kid. All he does is play games. They’re all alike.
And then it happened… a door opened to a world… rushing through the phone line like heroin through an addict’s veins, an electronic pulse is sent out, a refuge from the day-to-day incompetencies is sought… a board is found. “This is it… this is where I belong…” I know everyone here… even if I’ve never met them, never talked to them, may never hear from them again… I know you all… Damn kid. Tying up the phone line again. They’re all alike…
You bet your ass we’re all alike… we’ve been spoon-fed baby food at school when we hungered for steak… the bits of meat that you did let slip through were pre-chewed and tasteless. We’ve been dominated by sadists, or ignored by the apathetic. The few that had something to teach found us will- ing pupils, but those few are like drops of water in the desert.
This is our world now… the world of the electron and the switch, the beauty of the baud. We make use of a service already existing without paying for what could be dirt-cheap if it wasn’t run by profiteering gluttons, and you call us criminals. We explore… and you call us criminals. We seek after knowledge… and you call us criminals. We exist without skin color, without nationality, without religious bias… and you call us criminals. You build atomic bombs, you wage wars, you murder, cheat, and lie to us and try to make us believe it’s for our own good, yet we’re the criminals.
Yes, I am a criminal. My crime is that of curiosity. My crime is that of judging people by what they say and think, not what they look like. My crime is that of outsmarting you, something that you will never forgive me for.
I am a hacker, and this is my manifesto. You may stop this individual, but you can’t stop us all… after all, we’re all alike.
“The Plan” consists of three phases occurring over the course of the next year and will continue from there-on. Since the launch on June 15th 2011, we have grown to over 50,000 members strong. Our actions and passion for our cause speak volumes for the sincere and pure motives of our movement. What do we desire? A more promising way of life, free of the constraints society has laid upon us. Free of the division. A world with more transparent governments that work for the people, instead of against them. Where peace officers are serving the people once again rather than the establishment. A world where we can evolve as a world community, end these senseless wars and settle our differences with nothing more than true diplomacy. We wish to have less corporate influence in our countries and in our daily lives. We want to see the return of main street, and the gradual containment of wall street. And most certainly, we desire the ability to control our own economy by removing the powers that have been granted to the world banks and ridding the world of their fiat currencies. To sum the many ideas we share into one statement: We desire a world that works together as human beings in the best interest of the people, decided by the people rather than a world divided by race and nationality that functions solely for wealth and conquest.
The phases of “The Plan” are broken down ever so simply, and yet complex in their entirety. Phase One: Assemble. Spread the message and begin educating yourself further on the corruption that takes place within our communities and our world as a whole. Share information and assist each other in developing new ideas for our own lives and our communities to improve the current condition.
Phase Two: Organize. Continue spreading the message and education. Begin reaching out into your own community and building the unity and bond to strengthen the cause in your local areas. Learn what you can do to help others around you. Learn compassion and caring for others and ways you can improve the lives of others. Begin planning ways to address the important issues that stand between our communities and a better way of life.
Phase Three: Mobilize. Our efforts come full circle and we begin to share our dissatisfaction in organized, mass-unison with those who control the current structure of the system. Mass protests, boycotts and other peaceful means of non-compliance will be used to set the message straight that we will no longer participate and tolerate this system of servitude.
Our unity will be our stronghold. Our respect and understanding for personal differences will be our foundation. Our cause will be our offensive and our dedication, intelligence and philosophy will be our defense. Change is coming, and we can for once look forward to this change. United as one. Divided by zero. We are Anonymous. Expect us.
About Encyclopedia Dramatica (as found on Wikipedia…)
Encyclopædia Dramatica (often abbreviated ED) was a satirical open wiki launched on December 10, 2004. It lampooned both encyclopedic topics and current events, especially those related or relevant to contemporary internet culture. It was frequently utilized by a socially fluid and dynamic internet subculture known as Anonymous. The ‘not safe for work’ site celebrated a subversive “trolling culture”, and documented internet memes, culture, and events, such as mass organized pranks, trolling events, “raids”, large scale failures of internet security, and criticism of conservative internet communities which were accused of self-censorship in order to garner prestige or positive coverage from traditional and established media outlets.
The magazine Wired described the site as “where the vast parallel universe of Anonymous in-jokes, catchphrases, and obsessions is lovingly annotated, and you will discover an elaborate trolling culture: Flamingly racist and misogynist content lurks throughout, all of it calculated to offend”.
Ninemsn described Encyclopædia Dramatica as: “Wikipedia’s evil twin. It’s a site where almost every article is biased, offensive, unsourced, and without the faintest trace of political correctness. A search through its archives will reveal animated images of people committing suicide, articles glorifying extreme racism and sexism, and a seemingly endless supply of twisted, shocking views on just about every major human tragedy in history.”
On April 14, 2011, the original URL of the site was redirected to a new website that bore little resemblance with Encyclopedia Dramatica named Oh Internet. Parts of the ED community harshly criticized the changes. Several mirrors of the original site have since started up.
Encyclopedia Dramatica about Wikipedia…
World of Wikipædia, or Wikipedia, is a massive multiplayer online role-playing game in which some really cool dudes compete to paraphrase detailed information into a shorter, reader-friendlier format. However, unlike any other MMORPG, the major rewards and upgrades are to players’ perceived expertise on their own edits, which players can trade in for sparse IRL recognition or can add to their laundry lists of personal accomplishments.
During gameplay, Wikipedia players can gain more authority as they progress, with “Administrator” and “Double-O Licensed” rankings granting them access to GOD MODE. While the rules for winning the game are a tightly-kept secret, it is believed that the winner is treated to a night of accolades and praise from Wikipedia overlord Jimbo Wales.
Encyclopedia Dramatica about objectivity…
“NOBODY EVER COMES TO THE INTERNET WITH OUT A GODDAMNED MOTHERFUCKING POINT OF VIEW TO SPOUT OFF OKAY? SO THIS BULLSHIT ABOUT BEING NEUTRAL? IT BRINGS UP MORE BULLSHIT THAN IT’S WORTH. AND PLUS PEOPLE THINK THAT NOT HAVING A POINT OF VIEW ON A SUBJECT MAKES YOU MORE RELIABLE. NO, IT MAKES YOU MORE STUPID IS WHAT IT DOES. I DON’T TRUST YOU IF YOU AREN’T SPOUTING OFF ABOUT SOMETHING. YELL. SCREAM. DO SOMETHING. JUST DON’T FUCKING TELL ME THAT I’M NOT BEING NEUTRAL. THERE’S NO SUCH FUCKING THING SO STFU.”
