COMMENTARY | There is such a thing as going too far. I can't personally blame frustrated activists (who turned into computer hackers) for recent attacks on San Francisco's BART system. What BART officials did to cell phone service was unconscionable and worthy of retribution. I've even said so.
However, there is a difference between attacking the BART system, and attacking the personal lives of the those working for BART, thereby purposely endangering their families. Posting the personal information of the officers, as the group known as "Anonymous" did Wednesday, is as reprehensible as what BART did to provoke the attacks. Uncool, guys!
According to the San Francisco Gate, the hacker group breached the website of the unions representing the agency's police, and obtained a roster of 102 officers and other employees, including home addresses, e-mail addresses, and passwords for the site. The hackers then posted the information on a separate website, and wrote, of their deed, "Yet another success." Earlier in the week, they released the personal information of more than 2000 customers.
In any revolution, there are those who "get it" and those who "miss it." True success lies not in creating mayhem, but in successfully gaining public support for your actions. The average person will applaud you for hacking into the BART System and posting web graffiti that makes it difficult for them to do their jobs-- especially when the victims are guilty of a crime themselves. Most of us are angry, and rightly so, about the BART's Mubarak-esque approach to crowd control. We can get behind a little retribution.
What we don't like though, are punk kids messing with individual families of people who by and large are simply doing their jobs, and (I might add) doing the best they can to keep commuters safe. I once had a verbal altercation with Dell Computers over their lame customer service on a broken computer. I was rightly angry. I retaliated against Dell by refusing to pay my bill to them. For two years we were at odds until I finally settled with them for 30% of the bill. That was fair dealing, and fair retribution. What would have been unfair would have been for me to go down to the Dell headquarters and slapped a secretary across the face for the company's grievous error. For one action I am applauded, and the other rightfully punished.
So for that reason, because you "Anonymous" people without the integrity to own your choices chose to attack individuals rather than the structure that is truly to blame, I not only withdraw any support I might have fostered for you, but I step further to advocate that you be prohibited upon capture (and you will be caught) from ever operating a computer or other online device again. You may think you found success. I think you're just a bunch of disappointing failures.
