Retaliation Fears Spur Anonymity In Internet Case - WSJ.com
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Anonymous is a loose affiliation of hackers and activists who are self-proclaimed protectors of Internet freedom. To the Justice Department, the group is something more sinister. More than a dozen alleged members have been charged with computer crimes; they have pleaded not guilty. Anonymous has no formal structure or membership, and in some ways is more of a banner under which hackers and others choose to operate than an actual organization.
Though it has existed in one form or another since 2003, Anonymous raised its profile in 2010 after the website WikiLeaks released a large cache of secret U.S. documents. Anonymous-linked hackers attacked credit-card companies that froze WikiLeaks accounts, law-enforcement officials have alleged.
The U.S. has been investigating WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and has issued subpoenas seeking more information about how he obtained access to the U.S. secrets. No charges have been filed. Mr. Assange’s legal team has said the U.S. has no jurisdiction to prosecute him, because he is an Australian citizen who committed no crimes on U.S. soil.
One U.S. prosecutor whose name was publicly linked to the WikiLeaks probe faced so many personal intrusions that colleagues grew concerned about possible bodily harm, according to multiple law-enforcement officials. The prosecutor’s home address was spread online, and the person’s email account was subscribed to a pornography site, officials said. The prosecutor was also bombarded with harassing phone calls, they said.