Ghosts in the Machine: The Rhizomatic Threat/Promise of Anonymous as Counter-Cultural Disobedience

«Anonymous» has become associated with highly mediatized computer break-ins and subsequent releases of sensitive information. Among the burgeoning forms of global protest and political activism (e.g. Wikileaks, whistle blowing, Occupy Movement), Anonymous is a unique product of the continuous securitization of a networked digitalization, that encompasses ever more aspects of human life. Beyond its self-declaratory, catchy slogan, its use of Guy Fawkes masks and its orientation towards issues of censorship, information freedom, and anonymous speech, the movement eludes any straightforward definition and classification. Shrouded in deliberate mystery in a time obsessed with control and surveillance, it purports to have no leaders, no hierarchical structure, and no geographical epicentre. Despite (and because) of this, it has been framed as threat to national security and has increasingly been targeted by law enforcements around the world. This paper explores forms of organization and (counter-)cultural rationalities that shape Anonymous’ multiple expressions. The paper seeks to shed light on the social practices at the basis of this emergent conflict constellation. We conceptualize the mutual constitution between digitally based protest movements and conceptions of new risk within «new» forms of information-centred political authority and order.