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Topic: Social Enterprise

Wikileaks hackers attack Visa; get banned by Facebook, Twitter

Summary: Anonymous hacker group attacks Visa in support of Wikileaks then gets banned from Facebook and Twitter.

Elinor Mills

By Elinor Mills |


Hackers claim credit for Visa attack.

The Anonymous hacker group says it took the Visa website down on Wednesday in retaliation for the credit card company suspending payments to the Wikileaks site, with Facebook and Twitter removing the group's accounts.

The group hit the MasterCard site with a distributed denial-of-service attack for the same reason, and it took down PayPal over the weekend. The MasterCard site was back up this afternoon. Visa said on Tuesday that it was suspending payments to the controversial whistleblower site, joining MasterCard and PayPal.

Read: Analysis: Is Wikileaks' Assange actually a terrorist?

Operation Payback also said its page had been banned from Facebook for violating terms of use, and the group's Twitter account was suspended as well. Attempts to reach the group's Twitter page displayed a warning that said "Sorry, the profile you are trying to view has been suspended". A Twitter representative declined to comment on the matter. The group then created at least one new account on Twitter after being suspended.

For more on this story, read Facebook, Twitter boot WikiLeaks supporters after Visa attack on CNET News.

Topics: Social Enterprise, Security

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62 comments
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  • RE: Wikileaks hackers attack Visa; get banned by Facebook, Twitter

    And no one else saw this coming? Like honestly, take down one of the biggest, most talked about websites and you DIDN'T expect this to happen? Julian Assange was put onto INTERPOL's most wanted for what? A little sex crime (I know, sex crimes are a pretty big deal) but it wasn't rape like everyone is screaming, the sex WAS consensual WITH a condom and the condom just so happened to break or he pulled it off and continued aka "Sex by Surprise", a crime punishable by like a $725 fine. Something is fishy there.<br><br>When something gets out that the US government doesn't like, they take it down, although, who owns the Internet? I thought the Internet was supposed to be a "no-mans land" sort of deal where no ONE country can own it, yet the US sure is trying to, what with all these recent domain seizures and this entire WikiLeaks ordeal.<br><br>Am I all for the people behind the DDoS attacks? Certainly not, I don't believe in the eye for an eye thing, although I do believe in Karma, what goes around comes around. You take out a huge name in the news and it's only common sense someone or some group will target you back. At least someone is practicing their rights for freedom of speech.<br><br>You see information about China released all the time, and China is a communist country, but you don't see them trying to take over the Internet because something they don't like is released. If every country starting taking content down because they didn't like it, then what good is the Internet? Might as well stick to the local newspaper.
    Myoga-
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Wikileaks hackers attack Visa; get banned by Facebook, Twitter

      Exactly Freedom of speech should be protected. Visa etc. are cowards, would they have bowed to Hitler ?
      blackdwarf
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Wikileaks hackers attack Visa; get banned by Facebook, Twitter

        @blackdwarf
        Freedom of speech also comes with responsibility for your speech. Why are the hackers "anonymous"? They are merely anarchists who now have a new place to practice their trade.
        VictoriaByTheSea
        Reply Vote

      • like Palin and others who have spoken out against wikileaks?

        @blackdwarf
        You know, the same people who are being targeted for exercising [i]thier[/i] freedom of speech?

        Nice to know that freedom only extends to those that support Assange...
        John Zern
        Reply Vote

      • RE: Wikileaks hackers attack Visa; get banned by Facebook, Twitter

        @VictoriaByTheSea<br>They are known as "Anonymous" because if their identities were revealed, then the government would target them as well. Since 80% of the group (AFAIK) is probably within the US boundaries it's only common sense they try to hide their true identities.<br><br>Tell me, if you were part of their group, and you knew the stuff you were doing is punishable by law, would you publicize your name?

        @John Zern
        OFC Freedom of Speech should not just be limited to those that support Assange. But you are clearly missing the point here. Companies, organizations, and the US government itself is trying to quiet the WikiLeaks group and its supporters by shutting down its sources of income, and the whole domain itself, which greatly impedes on ones Freedom of Speech. It's really a "no-one" wins type of situation at this point in time. The government believes that the media should be censored because it <b>could</b> harm people or the US itself, then there are also people that believe this kind of information should be open to the public so people know whats really going on behind those walls that are the government. You take away someones rights, you can't expect anything else but a rebellion.
        Myoga-
        Reply Vote

      • RE: Wikileaks hackers attack Visa; get banned by Facebook, Twitter

        @myoga Where are you getting this information, you spout it, but you dont cite it, its like watching fox news, I dont believe until I can confirm it. you say the government told these companies to not do business with them? where is your proof? I would be happy to believe you if you actually used facts...
        nickdangerthirdi@...
        Reply Vote

      • That doesn't answer his question

        @Myoga. Sarah Palin is being targeted because she dared speak out AGAINST assange. will others in the news media be attacked to because they dont think what he did was a good thing (telling our enemies what buildings are vital to national/(world) security?

        i'm with him on that - it looks like assange and his crownies think "your either with us or are our enemies - tout our party line or be attacked".
        Ron Bergundy
        Reply Vote

      • RE: Wikileaks hackers attack Visa; get banned by Facebook, Twitter

        @nickdangerthird
        http://www.boingboing.net/2010/12/01/guardian-us-politici.html -- For the Amazon

        Also I should have worded that differently, not all of the companies may have been forced but surely they did this out of fear because they too were dealing with WikiLeaks.
        Myoga-
        Reply Vote

      • well just a question please

        @cyberspammer2
        12/09/2010 09:00 AM
        you are saying .....your either with us or are our enemies ok fine

        But that wasnt the same quote as Bush said at the UN summit after 9/11 before the war on terror

        Not its was QUOTE ---President George W. Bush, in an address to a joint session of Congress on September 20, 2001 said, "Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists.

        if its good for Bush why Its cannot be good for wikileak and there support ..... Just a question here just sound weird

        Because at this point both side are getting crazier and crazier by the minute ..... Well feel weird

        Because at this moment both side are nuts
        Quebec-french
        Reply Vote

      • RE: Wikileaks hackers attack Visa; get banned by Facebook, Twitter

        @blackdwarf Yeah, most private companies an the church did.
        Knowles2
        Reply Vote

      • RE: Wikileaks hackers attack Visa; get banned by Facebook, Twitter

        @blackdwarf Bowed?? no a kiss on the lips and a quickie in the back room is more like it. They are slaves to the same mentality that is going to cause the eventual wreckage of this country.
        mikedezurik
        Reply Vote

    • RE: Wikileaks hackers attack Visa; get banned by Facebook, Twitter

      @Myoga- It looks to me like China has tried to take over the internet a couple of times. Where were you when they were breaking into Google?
      Notwithstanding that false statement, I wish the US would always do right and I don't think Assange broke any laws for hosting info. He is a scumbag and will cause peoples' deaths, but he'll answer for that before God, not me. He may pay for the sex crime - if it really was one - here however.
      JimboNobody
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Wikileaks hackers attack Visa; get banned by Facebook, Twitter

        @JimboNobody there will be a long line, filled with people I want no part of, waiting to get into heaven. Besides Assange, there will be other people doing this and sites setup.

        Everybody I know and like are going to hell, according to people like you. These are people I really enjoy and many are Jewish. Remember- no Jews in heaven so I guess your Christ and his father will hang with us. Have fun in the heaven you've imagined- it sounds like hell to me. Goodbye
        mikedezurik
        Reply Vote

    • RE: Wikileaks hackers attack Visa; get banned by Facebook, Twitter

      @Myoga- sorry mate but china censors the hell out of their internet the goverment has full control of their content.
      fleety68
      Reply Vote

  • RE: Wikileaks hackers attack Visa; get banned by Facebook, Twitter

    I heard Twitter and face book may be next too. Barclay card has got some who would like to see them hit too now.
    blackdwarf
    Reply Vote

  • WE ARE ANONYMOUS

    ...oops :)
    PepperdotNet
    Reply Vote

  • misguided at best, malicious at worst

    They think they are defending free speech, it's possible the only thing that will be accomplished is hastening some kneejerk reactionary politicians to lockdown the Internet so that only "approved" content is visible. Technically very difficult to do but possible.
    PepperdotNet
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Wikileaks hackers attack Visa; get banned by Facebook, Twitter

      @Pepper.dot.Net "Kneejerk reactionary politicians" can only lockdown the Internet if "we the people" let them. Will you come out of your shell at that point and fight back? Or just warn people about the consequences of fighting against unjust government actions.
      dannote
      Reply Vote

    • Re: misguided at best

      @Pepper.dot.Net "Kneejerk reactionary politicians" can only lockdown the Internet if "we the people" let them. Will you come out of your shell at that point and fight back? Or just warn people about the consequences of fighting against unjust government actions.
      dannote
      Reply Vote

  • RE: Wikileaks hackers attack Visa; get banned by Facebook, Twitter

    They're doing it in China.
    kevintblack
    Reply Vote
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