NL- Of course I totally disagree with this whole thing and these tactics. This group is calling it a freedom of speech issue. I call it theft. As proof of the intellect of the group, on their front page, part of their rules to follow or get banned is – "No spamming, flooding, trolling, being a faggot."
From http://tieve.tk/about.php
Payback is a bitch
In the news, traces of Operation Payback can be found everywhere. It may by now be clear that these are not the actions of a group rebelious vandals, but organized protests against the reign of extreme pro-copyright organizations and watchdogs for the entertainment industries. We prepared a statement why we are protesting on a seperate page.
Target: Hustler
To whom it concerns,
Over the past years, we have borne witness to a technological revolution. The individual has become free, in the most extreme anarchistic sense, to share ideas. Some of these ideas are shared behind proxies, darknets, or similar "closed doors". Nevertheless, the ideas are out there. There have been similar instances of such revolutions of the mind. Their effects on society are inestimably great. As in past times with the invention of the printing press, so it is today that the people embrace this revolution, this new "anarchy" of freedom to share, while their autocratic rulers seek to crush this freedom.
In spite of censorship in the form of copyright law and other restrictions, the people have succeeded in distributing content to the poor, the underprivileged and the oppressed. The most numerous pirates are Chinese, as content filters restrict a vast amount of information in their country. Pirates are also numerous among the poor, as this demographic cannot afford things like college books or entertainment. Indeed, while often ignored by those interested only in bread and circuses, a vast amount of educational literature is available to the everyday pirate online. Piracy democratizes knowledge and makes education affordable.
History repeats itself. There was a time when powers that be attempted to silence the printing press, the blank cassette and the recordable CD. All of these previous attempts at censorship have failed, and future attempts of this nature are doomed to failure. Indeed, the sequestration of human knowledge for the benefit of extremist capitalism is treason against the whole of humanity. All should have the right to listen to a melody, experience a plot and learn from the aggregate of human knowledge available online.
The man on the street already knows this. He knows it when he illegally[1] gives his unused software to a friend or acquaintance. He knows it when he gives that old college book to a person in need. However, he also knows that something is wrong.
He knows that something is wrong when the artwork of little girls is raped in the name of copyright[2]. He knows that something is wrong when solicitors use copyright to blackmail thousands of people sharing information[3]. He knows that something is wrong when corrupt organizations seeking to stem the free flow of information lie through their teeth, produce false documents and spread misinformation about their opponents[4].
He know that it is not right when his leaders inexplicably support massive capitalist enterprises over the majority opinion of their own people[5]. He know they are wrong when they use illegal means to get what they want, while hypocritically deprecating their opponents for doing the same[6].
If one were to pursue the propaganda of various community-reputable organizations such as…
The Motion Picture Association of America [MPAA]
The Recording Industry Association of America [RIAA]
The British Phonographic Industry [BPI]
The Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft [AFACT]
Stichting Bescherming Rechten Entertainment Industrie Nederland [BREIN]
…They would come across many a morality play suggesting that, if they ‘pirate’ a film or an album, they are depriving a simple artist, actor or crewmember of their rightful wage. This worker won’t be able to break even for their next lot of groceries because the pirate robbed them of their money.
Of course, these organizations carefully omit the fact that only a small percentage of the profits made by big media ever make it to those who actually produce it. Do they ever disclose how small of a percentage most script writers, novelists, etc., actually make? Of course not, and there is a reason why. Do these anti-piracy organizations truthfully disclose how much they receive in donations, and from whom? Of course not, and there is a reason for this also.
In the end, our DDoS efforts have been compared to waiting for a train[7]. What must the people do to be heard? To what lengths must they go to have their pleads taken seriously? Must they to take to the streets with noose and handgun gun before those in power take notice?
You are forcing our hand by ignoring the voice of the people. In doing so, you bring the destruction of your iron grip of information ever closer. You have ignored the people, attacked the people and lied to the people. For this, you will be held accountable before the people, and you will be punished by them.
We will not stop.
We will not forget.
We will prevail.
We are anonymous.
References:
[1] http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/09/first-sale-doctrine/
[2] http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100722/09434710323.shtml
[3] http://technews.am/conversations/techdirt/acs_law_asks_those_who_deny_infringing_to_incriminate_themselves
[4] We DID NOT attack the Pirate Party, we ARE NOT affiliated with anti-scientology activism, and The Pirate Bay has not organized this.
[5] http://www.which.co.uk/news/2010/01/acs-law-letter-writing-continues-197714
[6] http://torrentfreak.com/anti-piracy-boss-denies-dos-attacks-torrent-site-refutes-claim-100912/
[7] http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/09/22/acs_4chan/