Who are the Anonymous Hacker-Activists? 5 things to know

Anonymous Hacker-Activist group members wear thiis mask  |  Photo Credit: Representative Image

The 'Anonymous' hacker activist group - as secret and unknown as the name goes - has been in news again. It is being mentioned in the coverage of the ongoing riots in the US. The Minneapolis Police Department's (MPD) website was taken offline this weekend.  On other occasions,, Anonymous has been known to take down websites in this manner, but the group has denied its role on Twitter.

What is Anonymous?

1. Anonymous is an international group of hacker activists that claims anonymity and also claims that it is not one person but many who run it. The controls of Anonymous are decentralised, the group has no proclaimed leadership (even if they possibly have it within the fold) and its members are unidentifiable. 
2. The group launches cyberattacks against governments, institutions and corporations that it accuses of wrongdoings @LatestAnonNews is the hacker activist group's Twitter account and is supposedly run by “multiple Anons". The group began in 2003 on 4chan, an anonymous English-language imageboard website. 
3. The group's icon/logo/face is a Tragi-comic mask. Members use the amused-expression mask or the Guy Fawkes mask, made famous in the graphic novel and film 'V for Vendetta'. The voice-overs on the videos or tapes they release often use voice-changers or speak-to-text programmes.
4. Once named one of the 100 most influential people by Time magazine readers, the group's acts are often anti-establishment. 
5. Anonymous’s motto is: “We are Anonymous. We are legion. We do not forgive, we do not forget. Expect us.”