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Topic: Security

Anonymous: 'We are not terrorists' (video)

Summary: Anonymous has responded to Activision's marketing campaign for Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, which paints the hacktivist group as terrorists. Also, Activision CEO Eric Hirshberg has been doxed.

Emil Protalinski

By for Zero Day |

Last week, Activision released a trailer for the upcoming video game Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. I've embedded it for you above. If you blink, you'll miss the implication that Anonymous is the new enemy of the United States.

The Guy Fawkes mask flashes briefly on the screen, twice. While the icon first entered pop culture in the graphic novel V for Vendetta, it has since been re-appropriated by the hacktivist group Anonymous.

At least one Anonymous member decided to hit back with a counter video. In it, Anonymous supposedly threatens to hack Activision, deface the company's website, and disrupt its online servers. Here it is:

The video was uploaded by YouTube user ALEXIUS ANON, an account which was created only last week. It's thus important to underline that official Anonymous channels of communication have not confirmed they will be targeting Activision. That being said, they are certainly aware of what the company did.

Here's what the Twitter account YourAnonNews, which has 578,000 followers, has said over the past week:

+9000 Internets for a screencap of the #Anonymous / Guy Fawkes mask in the new Black Ops trailer. Tweet it to us! :D #Anonymous featured in new COD Black Ops 2 trailer - http://bit.ly/JRr521 Hijack ALL the drones! (srsly...we're kidding DHS) COD Black Ops 2 - If #Anonymous are the bad guys it'll really ruin our gaming experience if we have to shoot ourselves. TRAILER: COD Black Ops 2 featuring #Anonymous - http://bit.ly/JRr521 Hack ALL the things!! But seriously, nice attempt to stay relevant. ^_^ Wow, the new COD Black Ops 2 trailer would make amazing pro-CISPA propaganda! #LULZ http://bit.ly/JRr521 #CISPA RT @JeremyHarbaugh - why the hell is anonymous in the black ops 2 trailer? #AskYAN << Because marketing dept. knew it would create buzz!!

The Twitter account AnonymousIRC, which has 279,000 followers, was a bit more direct:

Call Of Duty II: Black Ops 2 "...plot that seems to pivot on the threat of a hacker takeover." Is this psyop against #Anonymous? :O lol Activision's CEO Eric Hirshberg DOX http://www.pastebay.net/830768 http://youtu.be/blWD8IbVo4Q #Anonymous #OpBlackOps2 #WhoHacksAllTheCocks

Unfortunately, the YouTube video has been set to private, so it's impossible to verify whether it's the same as the one just above, or simply the one at the top. The 20-line Pastebay link is still up, but that's to be expected since Pastebay is run by Anonymous.

Here are the first five lines:

#OpPirateAllActivision presents Activision CEO DOX Eric Hirshberg DOB: June 1968 AGE: 43

The other 15 tell you his work address, home address, e-mail address, home phone number, work phone number, fax phone number, and how much he gets paid.

In short, Anonymous is mildly amused but overall not happy with Activision's marketing move. That being said, the group has not yet collectively agreed to target the game company, although it has made public some of Activision CEO Eric Hirshberg's personal information.

See also:

Topics: Security, Mobility

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Talkback

8 comments
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  • Right, they are not terrorists

    they only use terrorist tactics to destroy those they disagree with. Nothing like what terrorists do. They only posts Police officers phone numbers, adresses, family members, the school their kids go to, bus routes, ect.

    It's not like Anonymous is actually pulling the trigger, or blowing themselves up. They're just pointing all the lunitics in the right direction, and letting them do it.
    William Farrel
    Reply Vote

    • Well said, Mr. Farrel

      :|
      Tim Cook
      Reply Vote

  • Indifferent

    I find it funny that Activision seriously thought it a good idea to include that image in their video. Are they stupid? Sure, Anonymous would be a logical group to hack in a futuristic army of drones, but do they really want to bring down the wrath of several thousand intelligent, vocal hacktivists upon their heads? Good luck Eric Hirshberg, you're gonna need it.
    jhnnybgood
    Reply Vote

    • True...

      Why put the anti-hero of a film in as the bad-guy in a game?
      wright_is
      Reply Vote

  • Debatable

    But - golly - they sure have broken through an awful lot of corporate and government firewalls and into their networks. One could argue they are actually making the Internet (and private networks) more secure by exposing the Ginormous holes all over the place. At some level - you have to admire their skills.
    jpr75_z
    Reply Vote

  • They make such a great case....

    "We are not terrorists and if you say we are we'll hack your website, trash your servers, and post your personal info and pictures of your children."

    For people who like to think of themselves as intellectually superior, they certainly have yawning deficits in morality and certain basic elements of cognition.
    SgtSpork
    Reply Vote

  • Hacktivists=/terrorists

    Calling hacktivists terrorists does not make it so, and cherry-picking one thing this huge, leaderless group has done that you don't approve of to paint them all with the concern troll's brush of disapproval is petty and juvenile. Stop being butthurt over PSN already.
    Lots of lulz and lots of good has come of Anon's actions, and they have stood up for the rights of internet denizens and oppressed peoples when no one else would.
    Kublakhanonomous
    Reply Vote

  • Take the Bad with the Good

    Terrorists create terror. These guys resist the powers that oppress us and terrorize nobody.

    Sadly, they may be the last bastion of fighters for individual liberty when the world governments and corporations are done squashing what's left. We'll have to take the good with the bad - this is not a traditional top-down organization, but a bunch of individuals - sometimes a few of them do bad things.

    Activision is either trying to make a cheap buck or participating in the evil enslaving humanity. They won't get any more money from me.
    transcenden
    Reply Vote
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