Anonymous to ‘Occupy Mumbai’, demand internet freedom
The India wing of international hacktivist group Anonymous, best known for hacking into the Supreme Court and All India Congress Committee websites last month, is organising its first national protest at 4pm on Saturday.
The India wing of international hacktivist group Anonymous, best known for hacking into the Supreme Court and All India Congress Committee websites last month, is organising its first national protest at 4pm on Saturday.
The gathering is being organised to protest against the blocking of file-hosting and file-sharing websites such as Dailymotion, Vimeo and The Pirate Bay by major internet service providers. These websites were blocked following an injunction issued by the Madras high court on March 29.
Speaking exclusively to Hindustan Times over the phone, a member of Anonymous India said: “We aren’t looking to hurt anyone. We just want the internet to be free, and for our government not to bow to corrupt corporations.”
‘Occupy Mumbai’ will take place at Gateway of India. Protestors have been asked to wear black outfits along with a Guy Fawkes mask.
Similar protests have been planned at the same time in Delhi, Chandigarh, Kolkata, Bangalore, Kochi, Indore and Calicut.
The Occupy Mumbai Facebook page currently shows more than 1,600 members attending. The Anonymous member admitted that in India, there’s a lot of anger and an eagerness to do something about restriction on internet freedom. But, he believes that not many people understand the group’s ideology.
He also revealed that, as of now, the group has been denied police permission for the event. “We are exploring loopholes that will allow us to assemble to protest non-violently, if the permission does not come through,” he added.
The high court order that has prompted the protest was obtained to prevent the illegal distribution of Tamil film 3.
Ironically, the film gained national prominence after the song ‘Why this Kolaveri Di’ went viral on the Internet in November last year and gained a huge fan-following.