Anonymous is a group of anonymous online activists. They are associated with many online and offline protests. These protests commonly relate to freedom of speech. They often protest against political corruption and censorship. Anonymous also makes DDoS attacks (where an attacker disconnects his or her target from the internet, sometimes forever) on popular websites such as PayPal and the United States' Department of Justice homepage. Other common targets include organizations who seem to limit people's freedom of speech.
Anonymous is also often associated with image boards such as 4chan and protests such as the Occupy Movement.
Some people have been arrested for involvement in Anonymous cyberattacks in countries including the U.S., UK, Australia, the Netherlands, Spain, and Turkey. Views of the group's actions and usefulness vary widely. Supporters have called the group "freedom fighters" and digital Robin Hoods while some have judged them as "a cyber lynch-mob" or "cyber terrorists". In 2012, Time called Anonymous one of the "100 most influential people" of 2012 in the world.
Members of anonymous are called Anons. When anons appear in public, they often wear Guy Fawkes masks. Guy Fawkes masks come from a graphic novel and film called V for Vendetta. Some Anons also disguise their voice with voice changers (products that distort a user's voice) or text-to-speech programs.