Support for PIPA collapses in blackout aftermath
Websites go full throttle with SOPA blackout
The fight against SOPA and PIPA just got a bit dirtier: Hacktivist group Anonymous has launched a massive denial-of-service attack on the U.S. government and the music industry that took down nine target websites, albeit briefly.
The attack leveraged the power of social media. Anonymous members promoted a link via Twitter and internet chat rooms that continuously and relentlessly reloads the websites of their targets. The link quickly went viral, allowing Anonymous supporters to participate in the attack. Because the link was often sent out without explanation, a number of web surfers unwittingly participated in an attack against their own government.
Motivated by yesterday's takedown of the file-sharing site Megaupload, the DoS attack was Anonymous's largest ever. Victims of the attack included justice.gov, fbi.gov, copyright.gov, MPAA.org, and RIAA.org.
Anonymous is also targeting Democrats in congress who continue to support SOPA and PIPA with a digital letter-writing campaign. This campaign, nicknamed OpDonkeyPunch, offers a legal method of protest for those who desire to show displeasure with the federal government's actions.
[Image credit: gaelx]
Hacker group Anonymous takes down the Department of Justice and the RIAA
Outrage over the raid on file-sharing site Megaupload lead to a denial-of-service attack
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