The hacktivist group Anonymous is attacking the Ku Klux Klan by hacking their websites and Twitter accounts. This is in response to KKK's threats of "lethal force" against protesters in Ferguson, Missouri.
Anonymous' #OpKKK campaign aims to take over and disrupt websites to expose information about members of the KKK as the fate of Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson continues to lay in the hands of the grand jury.
The cyber attacks come in response to threatening flyers that were passed out by the KKK last week. The flyers by the Traditionalist American Knights of the KKK claimed Ferguson protesters were really terrorists masked as peaceful people. Protesters have been rallying in Ferguson since Wilson fatally shot African American teenager Michael Brown in August.
The KKK members threatened the protesters, saying there will be consequences for "actions against the peaceful, law abiding citizens of Missouri." Frank Ancona, head of Missouri's KKK later took pride in the threats and credited it for increasing recruitment.
In retaliation, Anonymous hackers accessed a few KKK websites over the weekend and on Monday, including kkk.com, unskkk.com and traditionalistamericanknights.com. The Twitter accounts @KluKluxKlanUSA and @YourKKKCentral were also hacked.
Owner of @OperationKKK said in a direct message that Anonymous has successfully gained access to personal information of members on these websites, but did not say how they obtained the information.
"The data we have managed to get so far include KK members Facebook accounts, email accounts, twitter users, etc.," OpKKK's Twitter says.
An Australian branch of Anonymous posted a YouTube video exposing this information which includes social media profiles of KKK supporters. "The data is currently classified as we are trying to make sure all information is 100% accurate before being published elsewhere," they said. "The KKK claims that they are not scared, but after the video was released, their details and private information was changed."
OperationKKK will release more information over the next 24 hours in hopes that the KKK will back off and stop threatening with physical force. In the meantime, the war of words wages on Twitter.
16 NOV 2014 09:11:47 You should've expected us. #OpKKK continues to be a success. Freedom will prevail. pic.twitter.com/FUrNzBpVOa
— Ku Klux Klan (@KuKluxKlanUSA) November 16, 2014
UPDATE: Anonymous will release a statement on THIS account tomorrow at 03:00 GMT (21 hours from now) regarding the seizing of this account. — Ku Klux Klan (@KuKluxKlanUSA) November 17, 2014
If you havent heard of or searched #opkkk #HoodsOff do yourself a solid, anonymous hacking kkk & making announcement via their twitter today
— Sam (@Vballkid77) November 17, 2014
It's not a good day to be a closeted racist. #OpKKK @ThatsRacistAF #Ferguson — Shawn Berry (@Shawnster172) November 14, 2014
We are continuing to read Anonymous threats with much amusement. Still no action taken. #Cowards #HoodsON
— Ku Klux Klan (@KuKluxKlanUSA) November 16, 2014
Now that @AnonCopWatch runs the KKK twitter it puts me in a weird position of wanting to follow the KKK. still can't. #opkkk — Theology of Ferguson (@FaithInFerguson) November 17, 2014
Finally, a social media movement we can all get behind. Anonymous is outdoing themselves. Keep it up #hoodsoff & #opkkk
— Ian Lovdahl (@IanLovdahl) November 17, 2014
