In my international relations class we've been discussing for years how "non-state actors" have altered the face of security in the international community. While transnational corporations were the first and most visible non-state actors discussed, today the game has changed. The chessboard of international relations now involves influential non-state actors that range from Bill Gates and the International Monetary Fund, to al Qaeda and cyber avenger Anonymous.
The cyber group Anonymous is especially pertinent because of how it has branched out, and does more than simply share and expose information. Through its security division Ghost Security, Anonymous is now on a global mission to help "cure the ISIS virus."
Made up of a special group of hacktivists sponsored by Anonymous, Ghost Security - or GhostSec - is now attacking websites and destroying networks used by pro-terrorist groups affiliated and sympathetic to ISIS. According to one of their tweets, GhostSec has attacked 233 websites - destroying 85 in the process - and "terminated" 25,000 Twitter accounts used by ISIS supporters.
For their part, ISIS is threatening another 9/11 attack on the U.S. (yeah, so what else is new, right?). With Anonymous engaged in activities that bring additional threats of violence against the United States, one has to ask whether Anonymous is doing us a favor by targeting ISIS affiliated social media accounts. This, in my view, is the wrong question.
Instead of pointing fingers at the Good Samaritan - yes, Anonymous is the Good Samaritan here - we should be asking how we got ourselves into the mess we now find ourselves in today.
That issue alone will raise questions about non-state actors in the United States that few people care to discuss. And - you can probably bet the farm on this - Anonymous no doubt knows about which groups I'm referring to here.
- Mark
The cyber group Anonymous is especially pertinent because of how it has branched out, and does more than simply share and expose information. Through its security division Ghost Security, Anonymous is now on a global mission to help "cure the ISIS virus."
For their part, ISIS is threatening another 9/11 attack on the U.S. (yeah, so what else is new, right?). With Anonymous engaged in activities that bring additional threats of violence against the United States, one has to ask whether Anonymous is doing us a favor by targeting ISIS affiliated social media accounts. This, in my view, is the wrong question.
That issue alone will raise questions about non-state actors in the United States that few people care to discuss. And - you can probably bet the farm on this - Anonymous no doubt knows about which groups I'm referring to here.
- Mark
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