Stuxnet on 4chan's leash? Uh-oh.

Stuxnet is back, and Anonymous has it

According to IT World, the nuclear facility-hacking worm is back in the open, and good old Anonymous is holding the leash. The article linked above has the details on the situation, and the portents write themselves, but what does this have to do with digital literacy?

A lot, actually.

As sad as it may seem, 4chan and its constituents (especially the board which is not to be named) are probably the leading contributors to the fight for Internet-wide freedom of information distribution - the very medium upon which digital literacy relies most heavily upon nowadays. That said, how is it a step in the right direction to have our rights represented by vigilantes such as these? Well, it's really not our call that says whether or not Anonymous represents those rights, for it is technically their right to do so. But with cyber-terrorists like them at the helm - the very same people that have attacked major credit card companies, shamelessly distributed child porn, and openly supported digital piracy - the future of those rights may not be as glorious as they themselves hope. They think themselves freedom fighters, and often, they are, but in light of the corruption they spread just as gratuitously (if not more so), our freedoms may very well be jeopardized instead of enforced.

That said, there really isn't a lot we can do ourselves in this situation, short of some form of political movement; heaven forbid anyone should attempt to mess with Anonymous themselves (anyone not new to the Internet should know why). I feel all we can really do for now is respect our given rights, and hope for the best.

If anyone is interested in reading more about 4chan and Anonymous, or has yet to familiarize him or herself with them, a quick Google search should find you plenty of information and news stories. A particularly daring individual might even venture to the heart of their home domain itself, but this particular author strongly advises against it - and, indeed, refuses to offer any form of linkage to said domain within this post. You have been warned.