The Last HOPE (2008): "What and Who is 'Anonymous'?" (Download)
Sunday, July 20, 2008: 12:00 pm (Turing): Anonymous is an anti-group which takes nothing too seriously and values free speech in the extreme. The self-styled Anonymous (used as a mass noun) is a label and Internet meme adopted within Internet culture to represent the actions of Internet users acting anonymously toward a given agenda. In this sense, Anonymous is "all of us, yet none of us." The term is used in phrases such as "We are Anonymous. We do not forgive. We do not forget." More recently, in 2008 specific actions were undertaken by specific group, groups, or organizations, also self-named as "Anonymous," and often associated with websites and chat systems on the Internet. The general public's introduction to the group began with Project Chanology, a protest against the Church of Scientology. The most visible element of the protest was mass protests of many Church sites worldwide, the first being held on February 10, 2008. Anonymous, as a protest group, lacks a visible hierarchical structure or leaders, instead relying on individuals to contribute to the group on their own.