Turkey is reportedly preparing for potential cyberattacks on the country’s official websites, to be executed by Anonymous, a hacker group that has led a series of high-profile attacks.
With the country’s election just three days away, Turkish officials said they were preparing for attacks on official websites by the Internet vigilante group in a protest against what it says is government Internet censorship, a Reuters report said.
Earlier this week, Anonymous members warned: “Turkish government, expect us,” in a 52-second video posted on YouTube on June 6. The group accuses the Turkish government of censoring the Internet, saying, “We, Anonymous, will not stand by and let this go unnoticed.”
Turkish hacker groups said they would counter-attack Anonymous, a group notorious for rebelling against governments and companies for their perceived control over the Internet.
Yavuz Kocoglu, head of an association set up to tackle IT crimes, called upon the state government to step up to the attacks, in a statement to Reuters.
“We will not stand back in the face of an attack on our country by this group. We call on the state bodies responsible for fighting such crimes to act,” Kocoglu said.
Anonymous said the first major attack was planned for 6 p.m. (1500 GMT) on Thursday, Reuters said, with the telecoms authority targeted over a planned new Internet filtering system.
In May, tens of thousands protested in Istanbul against Internet censorship and plans for a new filtering system, due to be introduced on Aug. 22, 2011.
A June 7 Wall Street Journal blog referenced an announcement issued by Anonymous that decries such censorship: “(The filtering system) will make it possible to keep records of all the people’s Internet activity. Though it remains opaque why and how the system will be put in place, it is clear that the government is taking censorship to the next level,” Anonymous said on its website, headed “Operation Turkey,” which was not active on Thursday.
Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling AK Party is expected to secure a “clear victory” and third term in the election, Reuters said.
Erin Harrison is Executive Editor, Strategic Initiatives, for TMC, where she oversees the company's strategic editorial initiatives, including the launch of several new print and online initiatives. She plays an active role in the print publications and TechZone360, covering IP communications, information technology and other related topics. To read more of Erin's articles, please visit her columnist page.Edited by
Rich Steeves
