The entities that are plotting our electronic world!
Anyone who has surfed the internet even a little knows well the power of anonymity and what it can do to people's minds.
This is because when a person feels that they can hide their identity well, then it is not unusual for them to commit immoral, criminal, and even horrifying acts.
And of course we're not just talking about the infamous trolls, who do whatever they want whenever they want and don't give a damn about the consequences!
Because as the internet has grown and evolved in recent years, new types of "evil" (with and without quotes, of course) have been created, who have used the publicity and immediacy of our electronic world to become larger than life itself, leaving aside the morality or legality of their actions.
And if we add organizations, private companies, and government structures to this already turbulent picture, then we all understand that digital life is not just orderly and well-organized.
And so, while there are many enemies of the internet today, too many to be precise, no one can leave these out..
Senator Ted Stevens
Beyond referring to the internet as “a series of videos,” the former Alaska senator once chaired the House committee against net neutrality. It was in 2006 that the notorious internet enemy wanted to pass legislation against internet anonymity, despite the fact that his understanding of how the World Wide Web works remains in its infancy. Among the grim changes heralded in the legislative framework he brought to Congress—with the support of other senators, in fact—was the amendment to ISPs, which would now be subject to buy-and-sell so that certain companies could, of course, have higher priority over other websites…
Michael Crook
Notorious since 2007, Michael Crook was undoubtedly one of the worst trolls the internet has ever known. The vicious online figure, known for creating the websites ForsakeTheTroops.com and craigslist-pervert.org, managed to embarrass and anger anyone he could think of! On ForsakeTheTroops, Crook claimed that all American soldiers in Iraq should die, simply for their willingness to join the ranks of the American military, while - even worse - on craigslist-pervert, Crook would set up fake dates with unsuspecting strangers, asking them for revealing photos and other personal information. And when he got his hands on them, he would post them on the site, wreaking havoc on the user's life. Despite the fact that he managed to magically escape the law, the public outcry and attacks against him were a form of justice..
Blue Coat Systems
Blue Coat Systems, formerly known as CacheFlow, is a California-based internet security company. In theory, because in practice it has earned a dubious reputation for its role in helping numerous dictators around the world censor their citizens’ online activity. And in case you were wondering, its most notable client is the Syrian government, which has managed to block messages of criticism and discontent from Syrian citizens with Blue Coat’s valuable services, while also drastically limiting internet access throughout Syria. The firm’s assistance to authoritarian regimes, while at the same time enjoying democracy and freedom, is both unethical and hypocritical…
SOPA
The infamous piece of legislation that sought to place stricter restrictions on the operation of the Internet, the terrible and terrible Stop Online Piracy Act, was a bill that was introduced in the US House of Representatives to pressure the government to take action against copyright infringement and data falsification. Despite the fact that it seemed like a noble move to protect intellectual property, a closer look convinced even the most cynical: the “fine print” of SOPA gave the government the ability to shut down any websites it considered suspicious without any hindrance! The entire reaction of the public, electronic companies and institutions, such as the combined Wikipedia and Google blackout, set out to show the senators what would happen to the Internet if the legislation were finally passed. And despite the fact that the act was finally awarded in 2012, nothing has been done under its umbrella, although it formally remains in operation..
Kim Dotcom
Born Kim Schmitz in 1974, German-Finnish hacker and later entrepreneur Kim Dotcom officially changed his last name in 2005 to honor the internet that made him a multimillionaire (although later the same medium would make him one of the most notorious targets!). The founder of the file-sharing website Megaupload was finally arrested in 2012, on charges of electronic piracy, copyright infringement, as well as extortion and money laundering. The days of the preacher of the free movement of goods on the internet thus came to an unexpected end, as the No. 1 enemy of the system and his empire were demolished in one fell swoop…
Syrian Electronic Army
Born from a hacker collective close to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the sinister Syrian Electronic Army has been making headlines for the past year, particularly for its attacks on news outlets like CNN and the New York Times, as well as social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. To be fair, its attacks so far have been more of a show of force than actual malicious activity, with the majority of them being website modifications and Twitter account hacks. Its power is still quite impressive, considering that many of its targets have the world’s best encryption protections, and it’s sure to be a topic of much concern in the near future, though not in a good way…
NSA
The infamous US National Security Agency needs no introduction at all, unless someone has recently landed on Earth! The government agency that monitors literally everyone, from governments, state agencies, individuals to 75% of US telecommunications transactions(!) and much, much more, is raising debates about the constitutional legality of its blatant violation of communications privacy. No one can be safe from the NSA's omnipresent electronic eye anymore..
Dread Pirate Roberts
Before being shut down by FBI agents, the Tor website Silk Road - there on the underground outskirts of the internet - sold drugs, weapons and everything illegal you could think of. Behind the well-established operation was Dread Pirate Roberts, born Ross William Ulbricht, who, in addition to the well-known ones (money laundering, drug trafficking, electronic piracy), is also accused of attempted murder of 6 people. Ulbricht allegedly hired a hitman to get rid of his drug supplier who threatened to reveal the identity of the founder of Silk Road. The guy was not joking at all and his actions on Silk Road have already left history..
Hunter Moore
While a breakup is never easy, especially when you're left in the cold, wanting revenge is not the only solution. Unfortunately, no one told Hunter Moore, the founder of the infamous porn site "Is Anyone Up?" that allowed cheated exes and other creepy guys to upload indecent material of their partners, without the victim's consent, of course. The site was founded in 2010 and until it was finally shut down in April 2012, thousands of women were abused in this brutal way. As a vindication, Moore was recently arrested by the FBI and got what he deserved..
Source: newsbeast.gr
