International condemnation of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has been swift and now the conflict has extended into the cyberverse.
Famous hacking group Anonymous claims to have hacked Russian TV to show footage of the war in Ukraine.
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Anonymous, a decentralized group of skilled hackers, previously shared a menacing message for Vladimir Putin, telling the Russian dictator “Members of Anonymous have declared cyber war against you and your aggressive regime,” in a video posted to Twitter.
The group is known for its comprehensive understanding of online philosophies and performative trolling.
DailyMail wrote that the group has been seen as everything from “digital Robin Hoods” to “cyber terrorists”.
This week, Anonymous siphoned control of Russian state television and Russian streaming services and broadcasted the carnal footage of battlefields in Ukraine.
Anonymous’s footage ended with a written message that attributed the fault of the war to Russia’s totalitarian government, not ordinary Russian citizens.
This is the latest in an escalating battle between the vigilante hackers and the Russian government.
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Anonymous took credit for hacking and shutting down the Kremlin’s official website in late February.
The group is currently overlaying “anti-propaganda” text on Russian CCTV cameras.
The hackers even have a slush fund for paying Russian soldiers to surrender their tanks.
The Independent reported on a new law passed by the Russian parliament that makes publishing “fake news” punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
News organizations and social media companies have suspended operations in Russia in response to the tamping of free speech.
This is the type of action that would draw the ire of Anonymous’ “leftist-libertarian” disciples.
In 2008, Anonymous targeted the Church of Scientology in a plot dubbed “Project Chanology”.
Four years later, Anons hacked hundreds of Chinese websites as retribution for the Chinese government’s human rights violations.
In a Twitter thread explaining its recent actions against Russia, Anonymous wrote “We abhor violence. We are anti-war. We are against police brutality. We have raised our fists in the air to stand against aggressor’s time and time again. We would never choose to hurt anyone physically. Understand this and know this if any government says otherwise.”
The tweet came from an unverified account with nearly 8million followers. The account’s bio includes the tag #HackThePlanet.
“We can change the world for the better. That has always been the idea. Ideas are bulletproof,” the thread concluded.
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In other news, Bill Gates has issued a stark warning to fans of Elon Musk about the dangers posed by investing in cryptocurrencies.
Elon Musk has warned the EU to restart dormant nuclear power plants as fears over an energy shortage in Europe continue to grow.
And, the SpaceX billionaire is unhappy with President Joe Biden yet again but this time it’s about the State of the Union address.
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