February 22, 2012, 10:24 AM — Rupert's not going to like this.
The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that several of its Facebook pages were the target of a "comment flashmob" led by a German group that claims to be part of the hacker collective Anonymous.
The Journal, owned by wealthy media baron Rupert Murdoch -- the tweetingest billionaire in the whole wide world! -- said the dastardly attack was prompted by "Anonymous Kollektiv," which called for the formation of a "comment flashmob" at 3:15 p.m. (German time, I think).
Anonymous Kollectiv urged mob participants -- all of whom undoubtedly hate success and should take a bath -- to copy and paste the following on various WSJ sites:
“Dear editors of the German Wall Street Journal, You equated Anonymous with Al-Qaeda in your February 2012 article and the related coverage. With this type of coverage you may be able to stir up fear in the United States, but not in the land of poets and thinkers! With this comment, we would like to oppose the deliberate dissemination of false information and express our displeasure with your lobby journalism. We are Anonymous. We are millions. We do not forgive. We do not forget. Expect us!”
One could see why Anonymous would take umbrage to the Al-Qaeda comparison. I haven't seen anyone wearing a Guy Fawkes mask beheading people or flying planes into buildings, though admittedly I've cut way down on my YouTube time.
Still, urging people to leave comments en masse on a Facebook page is beyond the pale, certainly a far more serious transgression than hacking the voicemails of British royalty and subjects alike, which was done solely for the purpose of providing tawdry tabloid scoops informing the public.
Fortunately, the WSJ has survived and will continue to fight the good fight for free enterprise and the abolishment of the "death tax."
But I'm worried about Rupe. He hasn't tweeted in two days. Someone should tell him he can come out of his bunker now.
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