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Digital WorldGlobal issues

The Face of Anonymous

April 26, 2023

In 2020, the "hacktivist" network Anonymous surfaced again, after years of relative quiet.

Doku |  Wer steckt hinter Anonymous?
Image: Sideways

"We will expose your many crimes to the world," said a masked Minneapolis police messenger in a clip that went viral on the Internet.

Image: Sideways

The documentary is a journey into the world of Commander X, one of the most famous, feisty and outspoken figures in the history of the international online movement. Commander X is ready to tell his own remarkable story -- and reveal what lies behind not only the ‘how’, but also the ‘why’ of Anonymous' modus operandi.

Christopher Mark Doyon, a.k.a. Commander X, embodies the journey of American activism "from the streets to the Internet and then back to the streets," says journalist and author David Kushner, one of many observers, comrades-in-arms and adversaries who provide Commander X's raucous and contentious odyssey with some context -- and, sometimes, a reality check.

We learn that Doyon is an old-school revolutionary. As a computer-loving teenager, he fled a troubled childhood in rural Maine, moved through various activist hotspots and began hacking long before most of us were familiar with the term. He considers himself a freedom fighter who helped shape the 21st century. 

Image: Sideways

When PayPal, Mastercard and VISA blocked the use of their services to support Wikileaks, Commander X led the attack on their websites. It was a move that cost these companies millions and alerted the FBI to the power of Anonymous. When the Egyptian government shut down the Internet during the Arab Spring, Commander X was one of the leading hackers to get it back up and running.  

 

 

 

Broadcasting Hours: 

DW English

WED 17.05.2023 – 01:15 UTC
WED 17.05.2023 – 04:15 UTC
WED 17.05.2023 – 18.15 UTC 
THU 18.05.2023 – 09:15 UTC
FRI 19.05.2023 – 12:15 UTC
SAT 20.05.2023 – 02:15 UTC
SAT 20.05.2023 – 15:15 UTC
SUN 21.05.2023 – 08:15 UTC

Lagos UTC +1 | Cape Town UTC +2 | Nairobi UTC +3
Delhi UTC +5,5 | Bangkok UTC +7 | Hong Kong UTC +8
London UTC +1 | Berlin UTC +2 | Moscow UTC +3
San Francisco UTC -7 | Edmonton UTC -6 | New York UTC -4

DW Deutsch+

THU 18.05.2023 – 09:15 UTC
SUN 21.05.2023 – 08:15 UTC 

Vancouver UTC -7 | New York UTC -4 | Sao Paulo UTC -3

 

 

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