Anonymous Posts List Of Alleged Ku Klux Klan Members Online

Online activist collective Anonymous has posted a list of alleged Ku Klax Klan (KKK) members on the web.

On 2 November, the ‘hacktivist’ group outlined plans to publish the list of names of 1,000 individuals that it believes are connected to the KKK.

Anonymous carried out its pledge on 5 November when it tweeted a link to the promised list, though it appears to show fewer than 1,000 names.

The list includes social media profiles of people who have joined KKK-related groups on Facebook and Google+.

A separate list was posted earlier in the week incorrectly identifying several American politicians as having links to the Ku Klux Klan, but Anonymous denied any involvement.

A statement from Anonymous posted alongside the list of names says: “We consider this data dump as a form of resistance against the violence and intimidation tactics leveraged against the public by various members of Ku Klux Klan groups throughout history”.

The hacker group collected the information over a period of 11 months through a combination of expert interviews, public documents and ‘digital espionage’.

The group launched its ‘Hoods off’ campaign after the KKK threatened violence against protesters in Ferguson, Missouri.

The group used 5 November to release the data to coincide with coordinated protests in cities around the world on the same day, including one in London.

The date was chosen as it was the same day in 1605 that Guy Fawkes unsuccessfully tried to blow up the English parliament. Guy Fawkes masks - as seen in the film V for Vendetta - have become a popular disguise for Anonymous members or ‘Anons’ as they are also known.

Image credit: Operation KKK