Anonymous Hacks Lolita City Alleged Porn Ring

The "hacktivist" group Anonymous has uncovered what it says was a massive child pornography ring, according to the Examiner.

The hackers targeted several websites, including "Lolita City," which the Guardian says included 1,589 users.

The attack was part of Anonymous' "Operation Darknet." The Guardian explains that "Darknet websites are part of the Invisible Web, sometimes called the Deep Web, containing content that is not part of the Surface Web, which is indexed by standard search engines."

Anonymous published the usernames of those who frequent Lolita City, which, the Guardian reports, had 100 gigabytes of child porn.

"We have been targeting them in secret for a while now, taking down their servers as much as possible," one hacker named Arson told Gawker in a chat. "We decided to seek media attention for this operation so that we may get the resources needed to shut them down on a more permanent basis."

Some of the username's are explicit, while others are just creepy and ominous. Take the monickers "redhotchily", "PantyhosePedo" and "PureEvil" as examples.

Unlike its reported attempts to "erase" the New York Stock Exchange, or its alleged involvement in the Playstation hack, the uncovering of an alleged child porn ring is unlikely to bring Anonymous much scorn.

This latest Anonymous mission is more in line with the group's targeting of the nearly universally despised Westboro Baptist Church.

Comments

[MisterBarlow]

09:00 AM on 12/07/2011

Firstly, Anonymous are not a group that act in any consistently organised way with a consistent moral objective. They are essentially people who are unknown to each other, who frequent the website 4chan (which is just an imageboard where you can post anonymously). Most users of this site couldn't care less about moral or legal crusades and in many cases revel in acting against them. It's all "for the lulz", you understand.

Secondly, there are a few imageboards and websites which can be accessed through Tor that contain images of child abuse. These images are illegal and upsetting, but to call it a "massive child pornography ring" is unhelpful hyperbole. It suggest again that people dealing in these images are highly organised. They are not. Some of them, no doubt, are people who frequent 4chan.

I do admire the people who have hacked these sites are are bringing attention to them, because it seems the authorities are powerless at the moment. The developers of Tor are also responsible.

Finally, I would like to unhappily report that LolitaCity is still up and running. So the campaign so far has been somewhat ineffective. If you want to make a difference, we need to intelligently address the problems that software such as Tor can generate.

[jorg1776]

05:14 PM on 10/26/2011

I have loved Anonymous ever since I first learned of them, this only serves to increase my admiration for any group not only willing but ABLE to do something about the horrible people who gain increasingly more control of our lives and families. Remember every one of those pictures on a child porn site is a kid who is being molested. Its good to know somone out there is actually Doing something.

[sir douglas walton reid]

02:01 AM on 11/03/2011

I clicked "like" after the first four words

[bluesclues2097]

12:17 PM on 10/26/2011

Love it! While most people talk about doing something, they are getting down to the very core of the problem. Good for them.

[R500]

11:08 PM on 10/24/2011

Good for them!

[aicequeen36]

08:49 PM on 10/24/2011

I love theses guys..now they are using their powers for good against evil..well they were doing that to begin with too

[SquareSircle]

08:15 PM on 10/24/2011

Does anybody remember these guys are going to hack Facebook on November 5th?

[CogitoErgoSum VA]

09:24 AM on 10/25/2011

Remember, remember, the 5th of November

[LivelyLexie]

03:41 PM on 10/24/2011

Usually I think hackers are wasting their talents to be annoying, but this? This is awesome. Way to go, guys!

[phenixx]

01:38 PM on 10/24/2011

I hope law enforcement moves into finding this people to arrest them. They can also put their pictures in a website so everyone can see who they are. (when found guilty)

Thanks Anonymous! Good job!

[Eno]

01:15 PM on 10/24/2011

Nothing should be out of line or illegal when going after these types of people. They deserve no rights. Do not pass go, do not collect 200 bucks, straight to the electric chair, needle or inflict the same harm that they may have caused to a child. If they have usernames on these kinds of sites, put their names on TV with their pictures for all to see.

[Gnarkill]

11:19 AM on 10/24/2011

Anonymous for President!

[David4FreePress]

10:57 AM on 10/24/2011

This is an interesting energetic phenomenon. The hackers are connected energetically because of their interaction over the web. Their collective efforts in doing good will only unite them more because of the collective positive energy of doing good. Doing good is much more gratifying than just having fun.

[GregD8]

05:36 AM on 10/25/2011

No way, anonymous is definitely a double edged sword. This blind praise of them that's going on just because they did this is unwarranted. yes, they did something good but it seems like they do 10 bad things for every good thing they do.

[David4FreePress]

10:13 AM on 10/25/2011

Hi Greg. I wasn't trying to praise them or judge them. It was just an energy observation. The good energy may be beneficial to some of them, but that will not change the bad things they have done.

[Michael Larson]

01:12 AM on 11/02/2011

list one thing they have done that was truly bad and unwarranted?

[blurredmolly]

08:35 AM on 10/24/2011

come on folks. when are you going to attack Crossroads GPS?

[pc1014]

01:53 AM on 10/24/2011

Easy there oh moralistic ones! Could we, in the old fashioned American way, at LEAST give these folks a day in court? If you were on that list wouldn't you think that might be a good idea? Like Michael Jackson. Tried and convicted in the press before he even got into a courtroom. Is that the new American way?

[LivelyLexie]

03:43 PM on 10/24/2011

Moralistic? They were members of a child pornography website. End of story.
What, are YOU a member?

[Johnny Pozzini]

07:32 PM on 10/24/2011

You missed his point. If murderers and rapists are allowed a fair trial then certainly people who look at child pornography in the privacy of their own home are allowed a trial, too. Certainly, murdering people is much worse than viewing child pornography. Sure, child pornography is horrendous and disgusting, but it is not on the same level as murder and terrorism as some of you people seem to believe.

[JustinP213]

08:29 PM on 10/23/2011

Very good job, anonymous. people who look at child porn should be shot.

[Knowledgeseeker]

07:38 PM on 10/23/2011

good job