Underground Activist Group 'Anonymous' Hacks Salt Lake Police Website
The shadowy activist group known as Anonymous has hacked the Salt Lake Police Department's website, forcing it to be shutdown, at least temporarily.
In an online statement posted at pastebin.com/tpit8bD3 the group said it was targeting SLCPD as a means of protesting new anti-graffiti legislation being considered in the Utah legislature. The legislation, proposed by West Valley Senator Karen Mayne, would prohibit anyone who intends on vandalizing an area with graffiti from possessing instruments, tools or devices that would enable them to carry out the act. Offenders would face a Class C misdemeanor under Utah law which could be elevated to a felony depending the circumstances. Anonymous claims the pending bill "based on suspected intent" was akin to resolving an "inconvenience with a flamethrower" and would turn Salt Lake police into "footsoldiers."
Salt Lake Police say they first noticed their site had been hacked around 2:30 Tuesday afternoon when "odd postings" began to appear. They say that while the hackers obtained email information of registered users, there was no indication confidential information was compromised.
In a statement released Tuesday night police said, "While this cyber-vandalism in no way impacts the core functions of the agency, it certainly inconveniences those citizens who work in partnership with the Police Department to make the city a safer place to live, work and visit." The also pointed out that the bill's sponsor did not represent or live in Salt Lake City.
Karen Mayne's only response to the cyber-attack was a simple statement saying the bill was moving forward in the legislature. She did not reference the hacking episode.
Police took the site offline Tuesday. It was still not up as of Wednesday morning.
The message, posted by Anonymous, reads as follows:
Dear Salt Lake City Police Department,
We took note http://fur.ly/0/MaynePlot that Senator Karen Mayne has put forth a bill SB107 - http://fur.ly/0/MaynePlotBill that tries to resolve an inconvenience with a flamethrower. Regardless whether the messages spray painted are disturbing, this bill sets an attitude that will down the line lead to invasions of privacy in people's homes and raids at 6 am over spray paint. We know that law enforcement functions as a mindless machine led by InfraGard, PERF, and other domestic civil intelligence (so marches the security state) networks. We know there's money to be made in the "just doing my job" compartmentalized economy. Therefore we know that regardless of the intent of Karen Mayne's haphazard lawmaking, this will end in corporations selling miniature drones to police offers chasing 13 year olds. We will act now as we have seen other "well-meaning" legislation open the door to tyranny and financing of oppression. There is no denying where this will end in 3 to 5 years or perhaps sooner.
Has your Senator Karen Mayne watched Minority Report too many times? A law prohibiting ownership and use of purchased products based on suspected intent? Is she kidding? The purpose of the law is not to prevent crime, but to manage it. The public gets the benefit of the doubt. A little too zealous wethinks. Perhaps a little pre-emptive action will drive the point home. As the foot soldiers for this bill, you get a taste of Mayne's witch hunt mentality. There are plenty of means to prosecute defacement of both private and public property in a general way. There's also the fact that some of this behavior may fall under civil rather criminal context.
A felony has a serious effect on a person's liberties after serving sentences, including loss of second amendment rights. And is this really the way to handle it? Perhaps Karen Mayne should be looking into why your neighborhoods are drawing this kind of behavior? Not acknowledging grievances and social issues such as poverty can lead to communities forming their own identities separate from their leaders. If all the senator has to offer is a policy that will lead to a self-righteous escalation of enforcement, consider this our deterrent.
We are Anonymous
We are Legion
We do not forgive
We do not forget
Expect us
