Called an anarchic internet hivemind, hacktivist group Anonymous has a history that spans over two decades. Anonymous originally originated from the online message board website 4chan, which has been called the “most disgusting website of all time” for its plethora of unfiltered, frequently explicit images.

Anonymous is known for not having a centralized leadership, and public opinion on them ranges from “digital Robin Hoods” to a “cyber lynch-mob.” They were mostly active in the 2000s and the 2010s, with some activity in the 2020s. 

The first known instance of Anonymous’s involvement in hacktivism is their actions and attacks against the Church of Scientology, an alleged cult based on science fiction author L. Ron Hubbard’s ideas, which started in 2008. After an internal Scientology video featuring Tom Cruise was leaked and Scientology responded by attempting to use legal methods to wipe it off the internet, 4chan users — who were not yet self-identifying as Anonymous — proceeded to troll Scientology.

Methods of “trolling” included jamming their phone and fax lines, shutting down their website with distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, and sending pizzas to their headquarters. This eventually culminated into a series of worldwide protests outside Scientology headquarters 10,000 members strong wearing the Guy Fawkes mask to protect their identities and keep themselves anonymous.

After the attacks against Scientology, which were dubbed “Project Chanology,” Anonymous proceeded to branch more into political hacktivism in the name of freedom of speech and expression. 

Most recently, they have been involved in the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020, “Operation Jane” against the Texas law that bans abortions after 6 weeks of pregnancy, and in the 2022 COVID-19 “White Paper” protests in China.

Anonymous’s actions have been a combination of contentious, illegal, celebrated, and dangerous, but their future remains to be seen.