Anonymous is already making trouble for ISIS and the Ku Klux Klan, but given the global distribution of its members, the hacktivist collective is excellent at multi-tasking. Reuters reports that Anonymous hackers have targeted Iceland's government, crashing at least five websites including the prime minister's official site as well as those of the environment and interior ministries. Anonymous is targeting the sites to protest the country's illegal whaling.
On Wednesday the group posted a video to social media decrying Iceland's whaling practices and urging others to join the anti-whaling movement they're calling #OpWhales. "It's time to speak out about this impending extinction of a species," the video said. "It's time to let Iceland know we will not stand by and watch as they drive this animal to extinction. Brothers and sisters of Anonymous, we ask that you stand along side us in targeting Iceland. Join our tweet storms to spread awareness. Join us in combined attacks on websites and databases, hacking, leaking and deleting as we go."
Anonymous appears to have made good on their warning, shutting down the sites from Friday until midday Saturday. According to Reuters, a Twitter account devoted to the campaign published several screenshots of the downed sites. The Icelandic government has made no comment about the crashes so far.
Although Iceland is a member of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), which was formed in 1986 enforce the ban on commercial whaling, many of its citizens continue to hunt whales. "Whales do not have a voice," Anonymous said. "We will be the voice for them."
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