Apparently Barrett Brown, a raffish scribe from the US, has become the “public face” of Anonymous and after threatening to reveal the names of collaborators with the psychopathic Mexican drug gangs has become their public enemy number – well, he’s closer to 1 than 100,000 and when the Zetas are involved that’s pretty darn terrifying. Shit. I used to read Brown when he blogged at True/Slant. He was a funny, clever guy but I’d have never guessed he’d spark an international incident. (He felt more akin to a mini Matt Taibbi.) It’s a pretty major step from engineering flamewars with Conservative bloggers to pwning drug cartels.
I’m sceptical of how much progress the ol’ – I mean, new – social meeja will cause among societies but the sudden powers it offers the bright and curious user can be tremendous. It’s like living in a massive city, with phenomenal public transport, where half the doors are loose on their hinges. It’s often disorienting when you realise “virtual” acts produce real-world effects, though. A small example: I remember tracing an abusive commenter’s ip address to his workplace and realising what a massive prick I’d be to get him fired and ruin his life in return for some doggerel about small penises.
