Hackers Continue Assault On Westboro Baptist Church, Release Social Security Numbers

[Erica Absetz <eabsetz () opensecurityfoundation org>]

http://www.inquisitr.com/441336/hackers-continue-assault-on-westboro-baptist-church-release-social-security-numbers/#aKOq1KOQJrZHHlTP.99

Commentary | With many people understandably upset that Westboro
Baptist Church plans to protest the victims of the Sandy Hook massacre
and sing praises to God that children were killed, it is hard not to
cheer for Anonymous in their latest battle against the “church.”

As The Inquisitr previously reported, the hacktivist group began the
latest battle on Saturday when they sent out an updated list of the
names and addresses of church members. They later released a video,
right before hacking the church’s website, in which they said:

“We will not allow you to corrupt the minds of America with your seeds
of hatred. We will not allow you to inspire aggression to the social
factions which you deem inferior. We will render you obsolete. We will
destroy you. We are coming.”

And come they did. Using the Twitter accounts @YourAnonNews,
@LulzExecutive, @Shm00pLOL, and others, they posted sensitive
information about Westboro Baptist Church members. The information
included social security numbers, email addresses, phone numbers,
dates of birth, and even the family tree (i.e. how the members are
connected to each other).

The groups also taunted Westboro Baptist Church members with the
information they uncovered. While, again, it is difficult not to cheer
for the groups as they work together to bring down a “church” that
preaches hate to the world, it also begs the question on what
information is too much to disclose.

Is it morally okay for a group to disclose sensitive information (such
as a social security number) about a person, even if the person is,
arguably, as deplorable as members of the WBC? It certainly is
illegal, as each stolen social security number can cost five years in
prison. Members of all groups understand too well what it means to be
caught with the information. Former Anonymous spokesman Barrett Brown
was just charged with stealing sensitive information — including
credit card numbers.

In this case, however, with a group that spreads only hate-filled
messages, it is possible we can overlook the laws that Anonymous and
others are breaking as they work to bring down Westboro Baptist
Church.
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