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My Hacker, My Source, My Snitch. Of all my Anonymous subjects, I was… | by Gabriella Coleman | Backchannel | Medium

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For six years I have been studying the protest ensemble Anonymous. Some challenges come with the job. By definition, Anonymous is a faceless collective. As many participants in this milieu conceal their identities carefully, it was impossible to tell who lay behind the mask. Nevertheless, since most Anons engaged with each other using pseudonymous nicknames, I interacted with a stable cast of characters on the chat channels where I did the great bulk of my ethnographic research on Anonymous. People developed reputations, and their personalities and linguistic idiosyncrasies shone through their text-based conversations. But Sabu was unique. Even before his name, picture, and the details of his life were splattered on a FOX news article/website on March 6, 2012 — the day the bombshell news was released that this charismatic figure was working as an informant for the FBI — Hector Monsegur, better known as “Sabu,” clearly stood out. Both on Twitter and during chat conversations, Sabu exude

My Hacker, My Source, My Snitch Of all my Anonymous subjects, I was closest to the defiant Sabu. Turns out he was closer with the FBI. Gabriella Coleman 12 min read · Nov 10, 2014 -- Listen Share Press enter or click to view image in full size For six years I have been studying the protest ensemble Anonymous. Some challenges come with the job. By definition, Anonymous is a faceless collective . As many participants in this milieu conceal their identities carefully, it was impossible to tell who lay behind the mask. Nevertheless, since most Anons engaged with each other using pseudonymous nickn

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