Review of We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists (2012) by Dillinger P — 11 Jan 2014

This documentary about the hacktivist group Anonymous is one-sided, with the interviewees being almost overwhelmingly members of Anonymous or related groups, with only one voice from someone affected by their actions, but it's absorbing none-the-less.

I found the first half most interesting, with the history of how Anonymous grew from the anarchic 4Chan forum, the breeding ground for thousands of amusing cat memes and revolting viral photos. As an active member of forums myself in the past, I found the process by which something so impersonal grows into a community, and then a real-world group, familiar and fascinating.

The details of how Anonymous members went from baiting Scientologists to attacking government and media websites are slightly chilling - the fine line between defence of civil liberties, and uncontrolled vigilantism has clearly already been crossed, and will inevitably be again.