
Even if the Legion may not have intended it to be so, their act could be the a satirical art of our times — our own Black Mirror moment.
Until a few days ago, all talk everywhere — from TV channels to newspapers to digital media and social — was about demonetisation. And yet, in the amount of time it would take to get a Rs 2,000 note from an ATM, our attention has switched to a bunch of hacker ‘kids’ who ‘love drugs’ and are hacking email servers for kicks. And, they call themselves Legion.
Open up any Idiot’s guide to Hacking book and you’ll likely find a chapter on ‘Coming up with a cool name’. It probably has Legion among the top recommended names with a little pro-tip that says “F Society is trending these days too thanks to Mr Robot.”
It’s not fair to give them grief over the name. After all, they are the cyber-warriors. They must be busy tunnelling through code and seeking exploits. Unleashing digital “anarchy” on unsuspecting masses is hard work.
It may be just one guy, one woman or a network of hundreds. They could be located in India, Russia or Eastern Europe. Hell, they could even be in Pakistan. Or, Koramangala
That’s it.
It may be just one guy, one woman or a network of hundreds. They could be located in India, Russia or Eastern Europe (we think they’re right here under our noses, though). Hell, they could even be in Pakistan. Or, Koramangala (Bangalore).
Or, maybe there is no Legion. It could be artificial intelligence — bots with brains — we’re dealing with. Just think about it. Their interviews have been generic enough. Look at this little gem from the interview they gave FactorDaily: “Hackers love drugs — mind expanding drugs.” Who talks in generics like that about themselves?
Perhaps, they are not potheads, they’re botheads.
Who is to say that an errant bot isn’t celebrating its new-found sentience with mayhem? Okay, maybe I’m getting a little ahead here
Could the ultimate purpose of these hacks be the act itself and what’s happening around it