back to article Anonymous turns on 'one man Julian Assange show' Wikileaks

Members of hacker collective Anonymous have stopped supporting Wikileaks after the site put up a paywall, saying that Wikileaks is more bothered about Julian Assange™ than getting information to the public. In a statement on Pastebin, linked through from Anonymous Twitter account AnonymousIRC, the group said Wikileaks had …

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  1. JimmyPage Silver badge
    Thumb Up

    Ding !

    Members of hacker collective Anonymous have stopped supporting Wikileaks after the site put up a paywall, saying that Wikileaks is more bothered about Julian Assange™ than getting information to the public.

    is that the sound of a penny dropping ?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Ding !

      Took them long enough to realize Saint Assange is only in this for the rep and loot, something which has been glaringly obvious from the 1st press event.

    2. Matt Bryant Silver badge
      Happy

      Re: Ding !

      ".....is that the sound of a penny dropping ?"

      Don't worry, Local Dupe, Sir Rediculous Spoon, RICHTO and associated Faithful will be along soon to insist it's all a copnspiracy, that Bushitler posted it on the Anon channel inbetween scheming new ways to scam the PIIGS into more spending, etc., etc.

    3. DF118
      Thumb Up

      @JimmyPage Re: Ding !

      Took the words right off my fingertips there. I'm amazed it has taken them this long.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: @JimmyPage Ding !

        Just goes to show that Anon are a good 20 commons sense points and 12 months behind the average person.

    4. Tapeador
      Meh

      Re: Ding !

      What slightly concerns me here is the thought what Anonymous may most passionately object to is having to pay for content, a stance not completely inconsistent with much of what is said on here.

    5. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Ding !

      "is that the sound of a penny dropping ?"

      No, it's the sight of two tramps fighting over an empty crisp packet. Futile and mildly embarrassing.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Uhm...

    Although I agree with their criticism I can't help wonder if this is actually a good thing for Wikileaks. I mean; do you really want to be associated with a group holding a notorious reputation such as anonymous has?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Uhm...

      Wikileaks sounds like it has been corrupted by the smell of money and fame, so I'd rather not be associated with them if I were in the Whistle blowing business, I think Anon made a good move. Whether I agree or disagree with Anon is a different story.

    2. Amorous Coward
      Mushroom

      Re: Uhm...

      > do you really want to be associated with a group holding a notorious reputation such as Julian Assange has?

      FTFY

    3. Rob Moir
      Holmes

      Re: Uhm...

      You're kidding right?

      While I don't agree with everything they've done by a long way, I'd much rather be "associated" with Anonymous that Wikileaks. "An honest villain is a cut above one who smiles and smiles" and all that, after all.

  3. Andrew Moore
    Coat

    Oh welll...

    ...there's always OpenLeaks...

    1. Ru
      Holmes

      Re: Oh welll...

      I don't know whether it is a good thing or a bad thing that Cryptome gets so little press.

      1. FrankAlphaXII

        Re: Oh welll...

        Its a good thing, Cryptome's a hell of a resource for anyone interested in or working in OSINT. Plus its founder isn't suffering from an inflated ego the size of an embassy.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Typo

    > Members of hacker collective Anonymous ...

    Members of hacker skiddie collective Anonymous ...

    Fixed it for you.

    1. int03h

      Re: Typo

      Much better. Clearly a typo!

    2. Sir Runcible Spoon

      Re: Typo

      "Members of hacker skiddie collective Anonymous ..."

      I've often wondered about this type of derogitory statement. That some 'members' of anonymous are only capable of running scripts with little knowledge of what they do (or don't - LOIC I'm looking at you here) but that doesn't mean that just because you employ a script that you are a 'skiddie'.

      If you think that's all anonymous is, then fair enough - I don't think that is the case however.

      I mean, you don't imply accountants are useless because they don't write their own spreadsheets, or do you?

      1. Not_The_Droids

        Re: Typo

        No, accountants are useless for plenty of other reasons. :)

        {But I'll lay palm leaves at the feet of my CPA around tax time, thanks...}

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Typo

        > I mean, you don't imply accountants are useless because they don't write their own spreadsheets, or do you?

        An accountant will have a great deal of knowledge about exactly what is happening with the figures he is entering in the cell. He will know what the relationship between the cells are and what the impacts are of changing the values of a cell. He will how the values are calulated and what the equations are.

        The skiddies, on the other hand, have no detailed knowledge of exactly what happens when they select the "Launch Denial of Service" option with their script. They will have no knowledge of whether they have just launched a SYN or ICMP flood, a teardrop or reflection attack. They will have no idea what the impact of these are or how and why they actually affect the target. In other words, the sum of their knowledge is how to select an option from a script.

        Their naive attitudes and the way they throw their toys out the pram when somebody disagrees with them indicates they are probably mostly teenagers

      3. Matt Bryant Silver badge
        Facepalm

        Re: Re: Typo

        ".....but that doesn't mean that just because you employ a script that you are a 'skiddie'....." Well, going on the amazing paywall that can be defeated just by turning off Javascript, I'm definately not putting the Wikitwit site admins in the webguru category. If that's the best they can come up with then the NSA, CIA, ISI, Uncle Tom Cobbley and all have probably raped the rest of their systems. Maybe it's because A$$nut hogged all the salary and all they could afford to hire was sub-Anon-level skiddies to write their paywall code (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/wikileaks/8225947/Julian-Assange-paid-two-thirds-of-WikiLeaks-salary-budget.html), and maybe that's why even the Anon skiddies don't want to be associated with them.

      4. Anonymous Coward
        Stop

        @Sir

        I think that Anonymous brings that reputation upon themselves and no one else.

        Like the latest (Dutch) news; they are now threatening to launch an all out attack on several internet providers because they block the Piratebay. You can read the (Dutch) article here (link to "telegraaf.nl", a Dutch news website).

        Apparently they don't (or refuse to) realize that most of those providers (XS4All and UPC to name two) have actually challenged the blockade in court several times, which has cost them plenty of money. They also seem to ignore the fact that these providers simply have no choice because they are being forced into this.

        And here we are now; the providers are going to take the heat from these terrorists, thus most likely effectively hindering many end-users to gain access to the Internet tomorrow.

        Does that sound like a sane protest or freedom fight to you? To me its plain out cyber terrorism and vandalism, nothing more and nothing else. The worst (and IMVHO retarded) part being that they actually plan to attack providers who actively protested and fought these rulings, some of them still are btw.

        As such; they do it to themselves. Time and time again.

        1. Sir Runcible Spoon

          Re: @Sir

          "I think that Anonymous brings that reputation upon themselves and no one else."

          I agree, and I also agree that there are lots of teenagers out there running scripts with no idea of what's going on under the bonnet.

          Remember that anonymous isn't an organisation. There is nothing to stop me performing some online action and claiming to be a member of anonymous - that's the point - anyone can do it.

          The point I was trying to make (and supported by the comments about how accountants know what the spreadsheet is doing) is that there are SOME people who claim to be anonymous who DO know what's going on under the hood of the scripts they use. So just because they might employ a script, it does not necessarily follow that they are a 'skiddie' (sounds like brown underpants to me)

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: @Sir

            > is that there are SOME people who claim to be anonymous who DO know what's going on under the hood of the scripts they use.

            You don't address a room full of women with a single bloke sitting in the back as "Gentlemen". Similarly you don’t call a group of skiddies with one or two who might possibly know a SYN from a FIN "hackers".

            1. Sir Runcible Spoon

              Re: @Sir

              Fair point, but you also wouldn't address that room as 'Ladies' only.

              1. Anonymous Coward
                Anonymous Coward

                Re: @Sir

                Why not?

                There might be a single male in the room, but the overwhelming characteristic of the room is female so referring to them collectively as "Ladies" is acceptable. "Ladies and Gentlemen" is inaccurate as it implies a significant* portion of the room is male. A common way to address a room full of women with just one or two males is to say "Ladies, <pause> Gentlemen" with a head nod to the males. But that is for polite society where people tend not to forcibly enter private areas and where there will be some mutual respect.

                What we are talking about is anonymous. Since I haven't seen any evidence of anybody with balls in that group I won't refer to them as "Ladies and Gentlemen"** but simply as skiddies.

                * By "significant" I mean more than 10%

                ** No gender bias is intended.

        2. John Deeb
          Boffin

          Re: @Sir

          Double check your sources, ShelLuser. It turned out to be nonsense.

        3. Stoneshop
          FAIL

          Re: @Sir

          (link to "telegraaf.nl", a Dutch news website).

          There's an 'h' missing in the above sentence. Between the 7th and 6th character counting from the end, and including the punctuation.

          Even fish with the lowest of low standards refuse to be wrapped in it.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Challange

    As an Anon, I challenge this claim.

    Anonymous stands behind Wikileaks and Assange because they are freedom fighters.

    Any claim otherwise is unsupported, and a majority of Anonymous stands with him.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Challange

      "No, *I'M* Anonymous... and so is my wife!"

      1. BillG
        Happy

        Re: Challange

        I'm Spartacus!

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Challange

        That's not your wife, that's a lady!

        1. Thomas 4
          Unhappy

          @BillG

          You're not Spartacus. You're BillG. It says so right next to the title of your post. You're fibbing to us, *on the internet*. Have you no shame sir?

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Challange

      Freedom from what exactly? Their democratically elected governments that allow them the freedoms to use the internet and protest (lawfully) at will? Or are they fighting for the freedom to allow women to vote, drive, get an education, not be forced into marriage/rape by their family, to prevent young children taking up arms and fighting wars.

      I'm sorry, but sitting behind a computer and looking at cats or my little pony every day before posting "tits or GTFO" does not make one a freedom fighter, freedom fighters put their lives on the line to try and obtain the liberties that we take for granted, the nearest an Anon gets to that is putting their rectum on the line from jail time in the US.

      1. Tubs

        Re: Challange

        "governments that allow them the freedoms"

        That sounds like an oxymoron to me.

        Time to take the red pill.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Challange

          @Tubs - as in compared to countries where the governments don't allow freedom to use the internet as they so desire, China comes to mind, Cuba somewhat, Iran, all bastions of freedom for it's people. So, why isn't Anon standing around in, let me think of a nice place.... Tiananmen Square, has a nice ring to it, why isn't Anon having a mass protest there wearing their masks and demanding that China grant all it's citizens the freedoms that we in the UK have?

          The guy claims Anon are freedom fighters so they should go out and prove it, not demonstrate in countries where the government has laws granting you the right to stand on your soap box, go demonstrate in countries where you may find the army comes in with tear gas, water cannons, tanks, real bullets, then Anon can say they are freedom fighters instead of pampered westerners who think they have a right to everything.

          1. Tubs

            Re: Challenge

            @AC

            They DO have a right to everything. Just because we are less oppressed than the Chinese doesn't mean we should be jumping for joy with our situation. It's one of the reasons we are so complacent with our lot; we can always look at China and say "we mustn't complain, they've got it worse than us".

          2. John Deeb
            Pirate

            Re: Challange

            AC: "So, why isn't Anon standing around in, let me think of a nice place.... Tiananmen Square,"

            That wouldn't be anonymous anymore, get it? Buying traveling tickets, standing out in a crowd and a rather large risk to be held for questioning or asked for ID, not to mention all the camera's snapping your mug.

            While I understand your disagreement with the selected targets, it's a bit of a weak form of arguing. Like some grumpy dad saying at the diner table to the kids: "Eat your food, think of all the poor African kids who are having nothing at all". One could argue that everyone can have his fight for something he believes can be changed. He is not required to fight all fights or obey to some imagined standard of how to assign priorities.

        2. dhcp pump
          Angel

          Re: Challange

          Re: Challange

          "governments that allow them the freedoms"

          That sounds like an oxymoron to me.

          Time to take the red pill.

          +1

          ROFLING -along ,oxmorons stick together -like a gay marriage !.

  6. nexsphil

    what a pile of fucking garbage

    Jesus fucking Christ. You need some higher quality astroturf - these shills can't even spell.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Budget astroturf

      They got a bunch of barely-used Metro shills from Ballmer at a discount.

  7. cyberdemon Silver badge
    Black Helicopters

    NoScript

    How long before whitelist javascript blockers like NoScript/NotScripts are used in the majority as part of the Standard Internet Condom? They certainly seem very useful against most forms of website antifeature..

    For example, I find that I don't need any blacklist adblocker such as AdBlock, since the vast majority of ads don't show up at all without Javascript. After all what's the point of advertising if you can't track people, right?

    Some sites use plain HTML (<=4) ads, which are not tracking my every eye-movement, and thus I don't find offensive. These I will occasionally grace with a click. (NoRef/RefControl enabled, of course)

  8. TechSurfer
    FAIL

    Paywall ?

    I just had a look at the wikileaks pages and there is no paywall, I have Javascript enabled yet no messages to pay up.

    With the likes of paypal etc not accepting payments there has to be a way of paying to keep the websites up and running.

    1. Ole Juul

      Re: Paywall ?

      I just checked as well. There's no paywall. Somebody just made that up thinking that we wouldn't check.

      1. Matt Bryant Silver badge
        Facepalm

        Re: Re: Paywall ?

        "....There's no paywall...." St Jules was quick to take it down again when the revolting Faithful started revolting. Just go put wikileaks and paywall into a search engine and you'll get pages of hits. Oh, sorry - that assumes the blinkers allow you to look anywhere other than Faithful-approved websites......

    2. Anonymous Coward
      FAIL

      @TechSurfer

      I did too, and you're right.

      Though your comment also shows that you never bothered to click an article to read its contents. Because then the paywall shows up.

      1. Ole Juul

        Re: @TechSurfer

        Though your comment also shows that you never bothered to click an article to read its contents. Because then the paywall shows up.

        I certainly did click on several articles. No paywall shows up for me. Here is the first article. The second one too has no paywall. Perhaps there is a browser variation.

      2. Colin Wright

        Re: @TechSurfer

        Yes, I got it after eventually going to an individual document.

        Actually, I'd have thought Anonymous would be happy to find something that would encourage more people to disable JavaScript.

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Wikileaks is more bothered about Julian Assange

    Julian Assange issurely more bothered about Julian Assange than anything else.

    1. Local G

      Re: Matt Bryant is more bothered about Julian Assange

      Fixed it for you

      1. Matt Bryant Silver badge
        Facepalm

        Re: Re: Matt Bryant is more bothered about Julian Assange

        Actually I'm more busy laughing @ A$$nut. And his band of Faithful ar$ekissers. Given your often rabid ranting in defence of A$$nut, Local Dupe, you are the last person to be posting here. But then I suspect you not only approve of Holy St Jule's paywall, you probably visit the site so you can donate weekly. Right after your welfare cheque clears.

        /LMAO.

        1. This post has been deleted by its author

        2. Local G
          Meh

          "A Cat May Look Upon A King, but Not at El Reg"

          Here's a memento of happier days. When we all got along and the housing bubble was the place the astronauts were going to live in on Mars.

          http://wikileaks.org/wiki/A_Cat_May_Look_Upon_a_King,_but_Not_at_Gitmo

          1. Matt Bryant Silver badge
            FAIL

            Re: "A Cat May Look Upon A King, but Not at El Reg"

            Gosh, the weren't allowed to read periodicals! What vile and degrading torture! And not allowed to look at Islamist material that might have given them comfort? Depraved! Next you'll be telling us they were forced to eat their Gazpacho soup lukewarm and had to suffer sleeping on seven mattresses with a pea underneath!

            1. Local G
              Unhappy

              Re: "A Cat May Look Upon A King, but Not at El Reg"

              Have you ever tasted lukewarm gazpacho?

              I didn't think so.

        3. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Matt Bryant is more bothered about Julian Assange

          "... your often rabid ranting," said Matt "Calm and Reasonable" Bryant.

  10. Turtle

    Tacitly Or, Perhaps, Unintentionally And Implicitly

    As if it matters to anyone other than Anonymous itself if they support Assange or not.

    And they are tacitly (or, more realistically, unintentionally and implicitly) owning up to their stupidity and naivety by having taken so long to recognize the obvious.

  11. Bob Hoskins
    Facepalm

    The blind leading the blind

    Anonymous are no better than Assange i.e. a bad running joke.

  12. Peter C.

    They can both go to Hell !

    They are both scumbag entities IMO.

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Quote (not about arabs) but more about the collective egos of petty hackers and hacking groups

    T.E. Lawrence- So long as the Arabs fight tribe against tribe, so long will they be a little people, a silly people - greedy, barbarous, and cruel

  14. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Insignificant

    Wikileaks and Assange are insignificant other than for media filler.

  15. iliosellas

    Julian Assange for the Nobel prize for freedom of the press:

    Please help promote this link wherever you can; if you believe in freedom of expression and freedom of the press.

    Julian Assange for the Nobel prize for freedom of the press:

    www.avaaz.org/en/petition/Julian_Assange_for_Nobel_prize_Freedom_of_the_Press/

    Lets see how "Noble" the Norwegians and their righteous Swede neighbors are or claim to be, since they offered Obama the Nobel peace prize!

    1. Boris S.

      Re: Julian Assange for the Nobel prize for freedom of the press:

      Shirley you jest. Nominate him for ARSE of the year and he might win.

  16. Local G
    Big Brother

    Mission Control: "We have separation."

    (later in room 101)

    Anonymous Smith: "Do it to Julian! Do it to Julian! Not me! Julian! I don't care what you do to him. Tear his face off, strip him to the bones. Not me! Julian! Not me!"

  17. Henry Wertz 1 Gold badge

    Make it optional?

    Why don't they take the middle ground, have the page that asks for donations, BUT put a close button on it? I must agree, after getting these leaks with the promise of making these leaks available to all, putting them behind a paywall after that is greasy. But I think soliciting donations is not.

  18. Mark Allread
    Facepalm

    Some hypocrisy?

    I love how *anonymous* are now saying that the government has "secrets [and] information we strongly believe the public has a right to know", yet whilst refusing to even say who they are..

    Anonymous and their teenage morals and understanding.. more hilarious every day.

    1. Sir Runcible Spoon

      Re: Some hypocrisy?

      I think I can stretch my grey matter to understand that these anons don't have the same kind of resources of say, a government - so keeping your identity a secret is their primary weapon.

      After all, a secret that my government is keeping from me could have a large impact on me one way or the other, but the name of some hacker in his bedroom is of little relevance.

      1. Mark Allread

        Re: Some hypocrisy?

        Still secrets, for different reasons. This idea that everything a goverment does needs to be or ought to be public knowledge is so fundamentally flawed and naive that I can only assume that the people behind anonymous are kiddies.

        Also, I imagine Assange now wishes he could put a few secrets back in the bag... What goes around..

  19. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    You go on believing what you will.

    So, you think all anon's are tech-illiterate, basement-dwelling, script-running kiddies do you?

    Yep, you go on thinking that. Suits me fine.

    I also must disagree with my fellow Anon earlier - Assange is a fool and we need to distance ourselves from him, and from Wikileaks too if it continues to jump on the shovel every time he yells "shit".

    As for those of you who think that our protests against "a democratically elected government" are pointless, because we have a fair and free electoral system by which to effect change; you need to go and take a closer look at lobbying and corpoate vote rigging in the US and how most parties in the EU and over in the UK are moving towards a common central ground politically. For example have a look to see if its possible to elect a party in the UK that won't increase surveillance on the British public, increase taxation on big business (or merely collect the tax they already owe) or reduce the terror-threat alert level. These governments no longer represent you, but money and corporate power - That's why we fight.

    To believe that simple voting will change government and policy in the modern era is to show an incredible naivety and a fundamental lack of understanding of today's politics. Our protests draw attention to these things.

    1. Matt Bryant Silver badge
      FAIL

      Re: You go on believing what you will.

      "..... To believe that simple screaming, whining tantrums will change government and policy in the modern era is to show an incredible naivety and a fundamental lack of understanding of today's politics. Our protests draw attention to our complete lack of a collective clue." There, fixed it for you.

  20. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Now it's time to end the media hype

    Instead of giving Assange and Wikileaks underserved media attention for every little tanturm, let's move on to the real news.

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