Forum Post: Anybody in contact with Anonymous or Hacktivists down there on Wall Street?
Posted 12 years ago on Sept. 28, 2011, 9:42 p.m. EST by Novanglus
(58)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
Hi,
If anyone down there has any contact with the Hacktivists, I can think of two ways to really get some people's panties in a bunch......
1) Screw with the Stock Exchange. If you look on the walls of the NYSE, you'll see the stock symbols and whether they go up or down. Make it so that the readout shows messages like, "HOW DOES IT FEEL TO MAKE RECORD PROFITS WHEN THERE ARE MILLIONS UNEMPLOYED, LOSING THEIR HOMES, IN DEBT FOR SCHOOL, AND YOU GUYS CAUSED IT ALL? WHERE IS YOUR SHAME? WHY HAS NOBODY GONE TO JAIL? WE WANT ANSWERS. WE ARE WAITING OUTSIDE. DON'T MAKE US SOMEDAY COME IN AFTER YOU." Technically it is not a total catastrophe that shall harm world markets if you do that because the readout will still print out online, but I'd be surprised if those little LED strips aren't hackable.
2) Try a similar tactic in Times Square. Threaten the media that this will happen if they do not cover the action more. That is a LOT of LED lights and jumbo screens.
I think it's a cool idea, but that changes things from a peaceful protest to something seen as very aggressive.
Right now all of the arrests are illegal arrests, because you guys [I'm in Atlanta, so I can't say we ):] are doing nothing wrong or illegal. Tampering with the stock exchange tickers is illegal. It's tampering with personal property, and they will make the (reasonable) assumption that it wasn't just the ticker board that was tampered with.
The media that are paid by these businesses will start reporting on viruses and make it seem like you're tampering with "the average Joe's" personal bank accounts, using as many buzzwords as possible to turn the people of the US against your protest.
There is no better way to turn people against you than to screw with their money, and regardless of the fact that you wouldn't be, it would definitely be spun that way.
Why would "the media" care about threats to hack the jumbotrons in Times Square?
because largely the screens I have in mind are the ones they use everyday.
who is "they"
Bad idea, for two main reasons:
screwing with the stock exchange is not going to gain supporters, it will come off as childish at best, Occupy Wall Street would be labeled as terrorists at worst.
Aligning with Anonymous can be a determent, there is already a negative stigma from the public regarding them.