Users connected to the web through the network provided by Reliance Communications (RCom) could not access popular websites like Twitter and Facebook on Saturday morning after hackers allegedly belonging to a group called Anonymous hacked the company's servers. When users typed www.twitter.com or www.facebook.com in the browser they were redirected to a page put up by the hackers that warned Indian government and internet service providers "not to mess with free speech and lesser with Anonymous".
On Friday, the hackers had released a list of websites and weblinks that were allegedly blocked on RCom network even though there was no legal mandate to do so. TOI contacted RCom for a statement but the company was yet to respond. Anonymous, a loosely-knit hacker collective, has been in the news for the last two years for high-profile attacks on government websites across the world to protest what it perceives as web censorship.
In the message to web users, the hackers said, "People We for 1 entire week attacked government websites, run by your money and no one in your government cared, then we decided to hit the Rich guys in the entertainment and IPL and Reliance and your government sprang into action. Shame on this government."
Last week the Anonymous hackers had attacked tens of Indian government websites, including the Supreme Court website, when several ISPs in the country blocked some file-sharing websites after an order against piracy by Madras High Court. These hackers were using a Twitter handle (opindia_revenge) to communicate with the world. However, after some time the account was suspended.
The hackers said that Twitter suspended the account after a request from the Indian government. "We tried to do a slow, non violent protest and government decided to cover out mouths we will not sit idle while our freedom is take away. When we started to speak truth, the government of India forced our online twitter account @Opindia_revenge to be suspended," noted the message on Saturday.
"We give you 24Hours at maximum to give our twitter account back and apologize... Give @OpIndia_Revenge BACK," the hackers said in the message. Now, they are allegedly using @Opindia_back on Twitter.
A cyber security expert told TOI that the RCom servers were likely hacked a by hacker who goes by the name of 'nomcat'. He also said that earlier most of the protests done in the name of Anonymous were carried out by India-based hackers and web users. But after the recent incidents of website blocking in the country, the top Anonymous hackers, who look after the group's global operations, have started taking interest in India.
Yesterday, the hackers had held a virtual press conference in an internet relay chat room. Apart from releasing the block list allegedly maintained by RCom, they also called people to protest against web censorship in the real world on June 9 by wearing Guy Fawkes masks.
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