Beware of the mask, Musk
The author is a political and international planning team reporter of the JoongAng Ilbo.
“We are Anonymous. We are Legion. We do not forgive.”
Anonymous is a hacker group which operates under a veil, as the name indicates. It is known to have formed in a chat room. There is no visible organization or leader. It is an open and close group and anyone who supports the cause can pose as a member.
The logo and symbol of Anonymous is a white mask with a strange smile. The mask is based on Guy Fawkes, who installed explosives in the British Parliament to kill King James I and members of the House of Lords. The failed terrorist is a symbol of resistance in Britain.
Anonymous came up with its name as it waged a war against American religious group Scientology in 2008. In 2009, it attempted an attack on Iranian government websites. The group supported the Arab Spring and attacked Tunisian, Egyptian and Libyan government sites in 2011. At the height of the Occupy Wall Street movement, it paralyzed the New York Stock Exchange. In 2012, Anonymous was selected as one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine.
Anonymous posted a video on YouTube on June 5. It is titled “Anonymous Message to Elon Musk.” An anonymous figure wearing a Guy Fawkes mask said, “It seems that the games you have played with the crypto markets have destroyed lives,” and “your tweets this week show a clear disregard for the average working person.” The masked figure warned, “You may think you are the smartest person in the room, but now you have met your match. We are Anonymous! We are Legion! Expect us.”
Musk’s recent tweets swayed the cryptocurrency market. A few hours before the Anonymous’ video was posted, he sent explicit tweets, and adult-themed cryptocurrencies rallied by 350 percent. When he put a bitcoin hashtag on an image of a couple breaking up, the price of bitcoin plummeted. Can Anonymous make Musk stop playing with tweets? In Korea and many other countries, only individual investors are suffering.
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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