Around 2008, the world was introduced to the Anonymous for the first time. Initially, they were thought to be a group of hackers aiming to attack the Church of Scientology, which was attempting to intimidate people into removing videos that exposed the church's true nature.

But where did the Anonymous originate? Those less familiar with internet culture might point to the obvious explanation widely circulated by the media—that they emerged from the site 4chan. While this is not incorrect, the true roots of the Anonymous go much further back, tied to the culture and ideology of hackers.

This ideology had existed almost from the beginning. It traces back to the 1970s and 1980s, when hackers conducted their early experiments in garages and freely shared information with the world. The methods for creating new projects were openly available—either by asking the creator directly or, later on, by reading Bulletin Board Systems (BBS), which preserved such knowledge.

This approach shaped the entire field of computer science. Steve Wozniak showcased the first personal computer and met Steve Jobs, with whom he would later found Apple. Other hackers, like Captain Crunch, demonstrated techniques such as making free calls through the American telephone system, uncovering and sharing the methods with others.

It made no sense to those hackers to create something they couldn’t share with others. They believed that information should be free. This belief motivated them to develop new technologies. Later, as networks began to emerge—not yet for the masses but for the few passionate about technology—many found ways to access restricted information and share it widely.

These were the first hackers who became known to the public, often seen as thieves. However, in 1986, Mentor, one of the most renowned hackers today, wrote the Hacker Manifesto. In it, he made it clear that hackers were not rebellious teenagers aiming to destroy the world. They were ordinary people exploring new technologies and advocating for free access to information. They didn’t care about religion, gender, or race. Remaining anonymous behind their keyboards, they exchanged ideas and knowledge.

This core idea of freedom of speech, the dissemination of information, and human knowledge is the driving force for all hackers around the world. This freedom gave rise to free software, Linux, and much of the technology we use today.

All this freedom of speech finds fertile ground on the internet. Anyone can express their opinion, conceal their identity, or joke around. What surfaces on the internet—whether an idea, a technology, or a meme—emerges from the democratic process that is inherent in the nature of the internet.

With this in mind, the Anonymous originated from 4chan, a controversial site, when someone in power tried to silence the voices of the internet. Someone decided to impose silence on a medium that cannot be silenced. Thus, the Anonymous began there, motivated by the principle of freedom of speech. Are all Anonymous members technically skilled hackers?

To answer that, we need to examine the type of hacking the Anonymous mainly engage in. Their primary method of protest involves DDoS attacks—attacks where the goal is to overwhelm a server with numerous requests, causing it to crash. In the real world, this is comparable to gathering in Syntagma Square one afternoon with like-minded individuals to protest pension reforms.

It becomes clear that their basic methodology does not require technical expertise but rather numbers. Therefore, anyone can be part of the Anonymous. Of course, not all members are without the necessary technical skills. Some, particularly those who bring hidden information about governments and corporations to light via WikiLeaks, possess the requisite expertise. However, the essence remains that anyone can protest against injustice on the internet.

The future of the Anonymous is unknown because they have no leadership. They operate anarchically, without leaders, which aligns perfectly with hacking culture. No one knows what lies ahead or how long they will continue to exist. Nevertheless, they remain a distinctive part of computer science. Their most recent intervention was a letter to Benjamin Netanyahu regarding the war in Palestine.