Over the weekend, a group of online hacktivists launched a 13-hour DDoS attack on five government websites in Iceland to protest against whale-hunting by the North Atlantic nation. The sites, which included the prime minister’s official website and that of the environment and interior ministries, went offline on November 27 and remained down until the afternoon of November 28.
#Anonymous #OpWhales. https://t.co/pLMkuH8oXc To clear things up and get the facts right. pic.twitter.com/dJvtrRF9iu
— Anonymous (@TeamRektIT) November 29, 2015
#OpWhales #Anonymous #TeamRektIt 1/5 Iceland Government #TangoDown! #Iceland stop the killing now! pic.twitter.com/oe472YsLvP
— Anonymous (@TeamRektIT) November 27, 2015
#OpWhales #Anonymous #TeamRektIt 2/5 Iceland Government #TangoDown! We will not stop fighting! End the killing NOW! pic.twitter.com/5G7tlRMOBR
— Anonymous (@TeamRektIT) November 27, 2015
#OpWhales #Anonymous #TeamRektIt 3/5 Iceland Government #TangoDown! The tango will not stop until the killing ends! pic.twitter.com/jiEmkMy8et
— Anonymous (@TeamRektIT) November 27, 2015
#OpWhales #Anonymous #TeamRektIt 4/5 Iceland Government #TangoDown! Stop the killing the money is not worth it! pic.twitter.com/Ohkhttpv1q
— Anonymous (@TeamRektIT) November 27, 2015
#OpWhales #Anonymous #TeamRektIt 5/5 Iceland Government #TangoDown! #IcelandGovernment to late to expect us. pic.twitter.com/jg6BIOKJfi
— Anonymous (@TeamRektIT) November 27, 2015
In addition to the government websites, Anonymous also hit HB Grandi, the company which conducts fin whale hunting in Iceland.
#Anonymous #OpWhales https://t.co/EarHCCt42A is #TangoDown Big key in the killing of fin whales on #Iceland!! pic.twitter.com/9DqyKiGSFO
— Anonymous (@_RektFaggot_) November 8, 2015
In an anti-whaling video that promised that the latest attack under #OpWhales is only the beginning, Anonymous activists called for people to hack websites linked to Iceland to protest against persistent commercial hunting.
“It’s time to speak out about this impending extinction of a species. 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 hackers also set up a special Twitter account and a website for their #OpWhales campaign. They also uploaded to GhostBin, a list of websites they plan to target in the future.
Iceland is a member of the International Whaling Commission, an inter-governmental body which imposed a ban on all commercial whaling from 1986. The moratorium remains in place, but both Iceland and Norway continue to hunt whales.
In 2014 Icelandic whalers killed 137 endangered fin whales and 24 minkes #OpWhalespic.twitter.com/QE7tm8xrXO
— Susie Foot (@bongogirl32) November 30, 2015
This Article (#OpWhales: Anonymous Brings Down Iceland Government Websites) is free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to the author and AnonHQ.com.
Why target only Iceland, we are given a quota from the IWC, why not target them. As well as the USA yebb they also hunt whales, but they have a dark side of hunting whales for scientific research. That number we will never know.
Iceland has fought for a free non surveillance of the Internet for a long time. We are trying to make a change.
Ok we kill some 1 or 2 hundred whales every year. But if you think of it we don´t have an army. Before you judge us then stop and think how many innocent people your country´s army has killed this year or any year.
The country´s that have condemned us the most are in fact killing innocent people instead.
I have always been supportive of everything this group does for humanity and life.
This OP is just stupid, please use your power to save human thousands of innocent life´s before you try saving some hundred whales.
PS. If you eat any meat at all you are just as much of a criminal as the Icelanders that eat whales.
Who are you to judge which animal shall be hunted and which not. These animals are all equal.
On behalf of the people that have the same view as I do, I say stop wasting time on blocking some governmental websites that are in fact all running fine now.
It does not help the whales.
I’m a whale and find this offensive.
IWC have banned fin whale hunting. It is a protected species. Iceland choose to ignore this and are hunting fin whales in increasing numbers each year. The ONLY country killing fin whales is Iceland.
155 dead this year alone. THIS is why Iceland is a target
carry on with #OpWhales.
May I ask why Faroe Islands are targeted too?
Because the faroe islands slaughter pilot whales and dolphins ….obviously
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
Carry on with #opWhales, Together we can change things!
@mister faroer, faroer islands are targeted too because of the grindadrap.
@the icelander, Humans are animals too, don’t forget it. We are all animals, whales have the same importance as us and fighting for them do not exclude fighting for human rights. Plus, there are some animals that are also important for their ECOLOGICAL ROLE, whales and sharks too are important for our ocean for many relevant reasons that I don’t have to tell to you.
What about Keystone species have you ever heard it?
..stop saying bullshit, open your mind and be humble.
Beautiful!