Just so you know - the Internet has now changed forever.

I posted this on my blog at galipeau.blogspot.com but I think that this is a very important discussion point for LiFTERS this week.

Think about this - it is important.
..............................................................................................
Regular channels, including the media and 90% of the bloggers who blog about bloggers, didn't notice the IRC activities and the 'sudden' arrival of a group of Internet activists known as Anonymous and their coordinated attack against Scientology.

This isn't the standard BBS call to action al la alt.2600, 'c4n sUm1 h31p m3 w1tH h4x0RiNg mY sk00lz c0mPz?' - this is serious.

Here's a few links:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCbKv9yiLiQ&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrkchXCzY70
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-063clxiB8I

The Economist claims that,

'it [Anonymous] is promoting cyberwarfare techniques normally associated with extortionists, spies and terrorists.'

No it's not. Here's why:

The economy of the developed world is moving from focusing on producing goods (Ex. cars, houses, food, and computers) to being based on the exchange of information. This shift may be compared to the transition from feudalism to capitalism where the power shifted away from the landed aristocracy to the newly enriched bourgeoisie. Recently, the power shifted from the owners of productive capital (i.e. factories) to those of informational capital.

Already we have seen a strong shift away from productive capital, as speculative investments are able to wreck havoc on national economies (such as Mexico’s 1994 crisis, Southeast Asian financial crisis, the sub-mortgage debacle last year). Each day over 3.1 trillion dollars is traded in international currency markets. Capital was the overwhelming power of the state.