"The cases are still in their early stages. But bit by bit, the lives and personalities of the suspects arrested and charged in July as members of the 'hackivist' collective 'Anonymous' are coming to light.
The prosecutions, stemming from cyber attacks on PayPal, AT&T, and a law enforcement website, represent the government's first major salvo against a group whose operations it considers an increasing criminal threat, at the same time as its basic construction has remained largely opaque.
But while the charges are clear cut, the potential motives of the accused are less so. Indeed that's the key question. Who are Anonymous, and what do they want, if anything? Is Anonymous even a real organization, or is it an ethos? And does that distinction really matter, when there are real crimes being committed under the Anonymous banner?
One suspect's attorney told TPM that his client believes that he was participating in a legitimate political protest, another relayed the message that he was "concerned about the availability of information in today's society."
According to the federal indictment filed in San Jose, 14 defendants participated in a coordinated DDoS attack against PayPal's computer servers in retribution for their termination of WikiLeaks' donation account. The attacks, which Anonymous referred to as "Operation Avenge Assange," took place from Dec. 6 to Dec. 10, 2010.
All of the suspects have entered not-guilty pleas, and the next hearing is set for Nov. 1.
The defendants are of both genders and range in age from 20 to 42 and in filings are identified by their names and alleged Anonymous nicknames like "Anthrophobic," "Toxic," "MMMM" and "Reaper." They consider themselves "hacktivists" or "hacker activists.""
http://idealab.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/09/defending-anonymous-lawyers-for-alleged-hacktivists-speak-out.php?ref=fpa
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