Hacker group 'Anonymous' declares war on jihadist websites in retaliation for Charlie Hebdo attack

The last time we heard from the hacker outfit known as "Anonymous," they were busy getting things spectacularly wrong regarding the situation in Ferguson, Missouri. This time, the Guy Fawkes clad computer experts seem to have picked their targets with a bit more consideration. They've announced that, in retaliation for the Charlie Hebdo attack, they're "declaring war" on jihadist groups and will start targeting their websites and social media feeds.

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As The Independent reports:

A Belgian offshoot of the group posted a video to the website “declaring war” against terrorist groups. In the message, in French and addressed to “Al Qaeda, Islamic State and other terrorists” in its description, the group says that it will take down the websites and social media accounts of terrorist groups. The group also posted a message to Pastebin, also in French and addressed to the “enemies of the freedom of expression”.

Frankly, I've always found it baffling that companies like Facebook and Twitter allow terrorists to use their services in the first place. Why in the world would any legitimate business want to give a voice to members of an organization or ideology - when they know they'll only use that voice to further efforts which would dismantle most of what they've built? Keep in mind; this isn't a 1st Amendment issue, or a free speech matter. These are private corporations saying "Sure. Let's let Al Qaeda (or whoever) use our private property to further their agenda." Killing these accounts would not be some kind of anti-Constitutional move, since they're well within their rights to deny access to their private services. Hey, if Anonymous wants to target terrorists this way, more power to 'em. Still, there is an irony here. Stéphane Charbonnier and the staff of Charlie Hebdo had the courage to print their paper, express themselves, and defy Islam publicly - all in the cold, harsh, light of day. That's what bravery and conviction look like. Anonymous will be doing it without giving their names, without exposing their locations, and without removing their trademark masks. ...So let's not go lauding Anonymous too much, even if their goals are valid.