PunkRex:
THE END IS NIGH!!! Quick everyone grab all the porn and ponies you can and meet me in the vault!

Also, im generally interested to see how DAR GERVAMENT respond to this if it actually works. Will they have a new found respect for creative people on the internet or will they just use it to launch a man hunt on a loosely tied group of people to boost their own numbers... don't answer that.

Seriously though the idea that this is so easily possible is worrying... can we back up the internet?

No we must leave the Ponies...its too late

Saving the Porn is the only Logical Option

I'm pretty sure this isn't the first time they've threatened to shut down the internet.

Anonymous seem to make all kinds of generalized accuzations on 'the authority' and 'bankers'. Just because they hide behind their mysterious Orwell's 1984 fascade, doesn't give them the right to speak for, let alone decide, everyones political and cultural beliefs.

They go on about protecting the internet from tyrants, but frankly I'm wondering: who are the real 'would-be' tyrants here?

Must...resist...making fun of them...
Alright, now that my urges are under control, I don't know whether they can do it but how will that send the intended message? Most people will just assume that their internet has some kind of problem, which isn't that uncommon. Even if it makes it into the news and many will watch it, I doubt that most people will get the message, more likely, they'll just see it as cyber terrorism. They won't get what Anonymous wants to say with this move.
I just can't see how this will do any good.
Besides, if they succeed, I'll have to download porn tomorrow to last for the weekend but I don't have any time!

Dammit, I can't resist!

'Members' of *this* anonymous group: Behold, loyal subjects! Now, because we have cut off access to any reliable sources of up to date information, you will understand the importance of many issues!

Most people: Man, why is the internet not working. I have work to do.
*After the problem is fixed*
Oh cool now I can do that work.

People who can get around the issue, and almost certainly ALREADY HAVE FULL AWARENESS OF THESE ISSUES ANYWAY: Fuck, this is annoying, guys, come on.

This is why the website blackouts actually worked, where this won't- people only give a shit WHILE it is affecting them- and, of course, while that is happening, they won't actually know what the deal is anyway. Once the internet comes back, who even cares? Got stuff to do.

I guess if this were to last a few days, or happen fairly frequently (So it sufficiently annoys the general public) then it would work effectively. But I doubt even these guys want that.

If they could wait until the end of April that would be fantastic. No mitigating circumstance for not handing in uni work will ever be as valid as "Anonymous stole the internet, couldn't upload files, and couldn't find out what the alternative arrangements were."

I doubt Anonymous would actually do this, or even threaten to do this. It's just not their style. This might be some other Anonymous.

This comes off as punishing the wrong people. If I lose my internet how does this punish big corporations.

I didn't think DNS worked this way. The average user's lookups never get anywhere near the root servers due to the multiple layers involved.

(Sorry if this has already been pointed out -- I wasn't prepared to read the entire thread on my phone)

Unless they have a way to corrupt the DNS tables of every ISP simultaneously, it's doubtful that anyone will even notice. How do I know this is true (aside from being a CCIP)? It's simple: to save server load and network traffic, the root name servers only are queried when no other name server is available to and able to resolve a name to an IP address.

-You likely have a cache of IP addresses on your computer for sites you visit often.
-If it's not in that cache, your computer will try your ISP's DNS server.
-If it's not in the ISP's DNS server (and it usually is: ISPs hate to spend bandwidth on administrative traffic), it will request an update from a large DNS server that is nearby (in network terms, anyway) such as a University.
-If the IP address still can't be found, it will then query a root server.

My take: if this is not a hoax (and I think it is), your Internet might be a bit slower than usual, but you won't otherwise notice a thing.

As to why I think it's a hoax:
1) Anonymous hasn't just attacked the 'Internet in general' before. They have only targeted specific organizations' Internet presences.
2) Anonymous would be inhibiting its own ability to function if this attack does what they claim it will do.
3) Anonymous generally has been non-geographically concerned in the past: statements like 'Wallstreet' and 'The bankers...' seem particular to the USA, primarily.
4) IIRC, they haven't made any political statements, and in fact have generally been apolitical. Perhaps they might speak out against SOPA - MAYBE (since it only really impacts those in the USA, and it does nothing to make their hacking even more illegal than it already was), but to talk about "our irresponsible leaders" just doesn't sound like them.

But hey, nice try.

Wow, anyone who takes part in that, or agrees with it is stupid. Leave mah internetz alone, what'd it ever do to you?

riiiight .......

I'll believe it when i see it,

see ya'all on the first btw ;)

Well uhh, good luck with that Anon. I shall award you a round of applause should you accomplish this feat.
But just incase, whats this sites IP?

ciancon:
They couldn't wait 'til AFTER Game of Thrones Season 2 could they!?

Exactly my thoughts.

Yep, going to hit everyone equally, and not the people they are most opposed to. Assuming it can even be done.

So what Anonymous is gonna do is...

... Ruin the Internet to protest greed...

Am I the only one whose brain works properly? Self-censorship is NOT going to get the message across.

Has that ALWAYS been their logo? I guess they just want to be supervillains now.

This is the most appropriate thing I could find about this. I thought there would be lots of 'I call bullshit' memes/videos but apparently not.

Isn't this the third time "Anonymous" has threatened to shut down the internet to protest (in part, I guess) SOPA since SOPA was shelved? Did it pull an Eric Draven?

Also, is shutting down the internet, even if possible, the best way to get your point across?

This is stupid. Most of their supporters use the internet daily. Why would they shut something down that their entire support group uses and loves? It'd be a better idea to shut down only the bankers or whoever's websites.

Ha they could just take down facebook, and people would think the internet was down.

Won't that just alienate a bunch of people? Like...the world?

Anonymous. Ya'll are so weird.

i fully support this. don't get me wrong, i love the internet as much as the next #guy but anonymous has my full support, and it's beautiful to see people take action, and the fact that the internet is the new battleground for civil rights is just so damn cyberpunk, i love it.

if i knew how to hack, i'd join anonymous.

their clandestine nature does have a drawback though, i'd love to download the program and help the assault, but i'm not going to, because as a faceless organization, anyone can claim their name and offer a download with such well written and hidden trojans and viruses, i can't take that risk. i'm sure if they wanted access to my computer as is, it would be easy enough, but why invite the vampire in?

Bob_F_It:
And the people of Anonymous shoot themselves in the foot AGAIN, because quite frankly this doesn't spread a message; quite the opposite - it stems the flow of information, and people will not know what the fuss is about unless the news tells them.

I find your avatar (or at least the context of it) quite appropriate.

I have serious doubts that this is even possible. This just seems sensationalist and an attempt to get people to remember Anonymous.

Also, this is out of character for Anonymous. They don't broadcast their attacks days before they do it, they take credit after the fact.

Assuming they pull this off, how many people are they going harm or straight up kill? Jobs, livelihoods, and even lives depend on the internet. Doing this will screw over a lot of people.

Am I the only one that feels really old right now? You kids these days, "shutting down the internet is a political protest"? What ever happened to storming a federal office building, taking a few hostages and then being unceremoniously defenestrated by Bruce Willis a la Die Hard?

MFW
March 31 = April 1 + Leap Year

So I'm betting this is an elaborate April Fool's joke running afoul of Poe's Law.

MiloP:
March 31st...the day before April 1st? A day commonly know for jokes and hi-jinks?

Yeah, imma put my scepticism hat on here.

Yes I thought of that and wanted to see if anyone else saw this? Turns out your the only other one so far xD
You.

sir.rutthed:
But... Saturday is when the new episode of My Little Pony premiers!

My line of thought:

Oooh interesting. Would that be with their new ultra-powerful tool which took down Pastebin for 49 minuets when the tool had only been active for 12 seconds. Give a few thousand Hactivist sheep followers that tool and boom headshot.

Saturday... shit no ponies! :o I need my fix :(

hmm... better be safe, start steam in ofline mode the night before and leave the computer on... I could give it something to do... install some of the games on steam that I ha--- shit.

Proverbial Jon:
They are going to shut down the entire internet? Is that even possible?

Read the first few lines :) More if you want but it will make less sense as you go on.

If they take down the main 13 DNS servers...

The internet is severely hampered to say the least.

Just stop it, Anon, you're starting to embarrass yourself. -___-

Go ahead, do it. What's it going to do?

Take off the internet for an hour before people who work with the internet as their job fix it because unlike some script kiddies, the people who have studied and worked with the servers for years know what they are doing and don't make idiotic protests in the name of "freedom" when in reality the only thing they are doing is trying to make everyone be their bitch?

This protest is useless and goes against the rights of the people. After all, why should everyone have to suffer an internet black out just because some neckbeards are mad at the government? Yes SOPA is terrible bill that if passed would limit the flow of information, but this method is plain moronic in every way!

SOPA may be a bad bill, but the current protesting methods used are enough and expanding on that instead of "pulling the cord" is much more logical than this. Whoever hiding behind a screen thinking they are hero has no idea what they are thinking.

...

so does this mean I should try and do all three of the projects I have due next week tomorrow?

OT: I like to think that this is a joke, not possible, or that there are benevolent people out there who would try and stop those attempting to do this. However I'm still gonna at least do the vast majority of the research I need for the next few days of school tomorrow.