Claim: Anonymous originated in 2003.

Anonymous is a loosely associated international network of activist and hacktivist entities . A website nominally associated with the group describes it as `` an Internet gathering '' with `` a very loose and decentralized command structure that operates on ideas rather than directives '' . The group became known for a series of well-publicized publicity stunts and distributed denial-of-service -LRB- DDoS -RRB- attacks on government , religious , and corporate websites .   Anonymous originated in 2003 on the imageboard 4chan , representing the concept of many online and offline community users simultaneously existing as an anarchic , digitized global brain . Anonymous members -LRB- known as `` Anons '' -RRB- can be distinguished in public by the wearing of Guy Fawkes masks in the style portrayed in the graphic novel and film V for Vendetta .   In its early form , the concept was adopted by a decentralized online community acting anonymously in a coordinated manner , usually toward a loosely self-agreed goal , and primarily focused on entertainment , or `` lulz '' . Beginning with 2008 's Project Chanology -- a series of protests , pranks , and hacks targeting the Church of Scientology -- the Anonymous collective became increasingly associated with collaborative hacktivism on a number of issues internationally . Individuals claiming to align themselves with Anonymous undertook protests and other actions -LRB- including direct action -RRB- in retaliation against copyright-focused campaigns by motion picture and recording industry trade associations . Later targets of Anonymous hacktivism included government agencies of the U.S. , Israel , Tunisia , Uganda , and others ; the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant ; child pornography sites ; copyright protection agencies ; the Westboro Baptist Church ; and corporations such as PayPal , MasterCard , Visa , and Sony . Anons have publicly supported WikiLeaks and the Occupy movement . Related groups LulzSec and Operation AntiSec carried out cyberattacks on U.S. government agencies , media , video game companies , military contractors , military personnel , and police officers , resulting in the attention of law enforcement to the groups ' activities . Some actions by members of the group have been described as being anti-Zionist . It has threatened to cyber-attack Israel and engaged in the '' #OpIsrael '' cyber-attacks of Israeli websites on Yom HaShoah -LRB- Holocaust Remembrance Day -RRB- in 2013 .   Dozens of people have been arrested for involvement in Anonymous cyberattacks , in countries including the U.S. , UK , Australia , the Netherlands , Spain , India and Turkey . Evaluations of the group 's actions and effectiveness vary widely . Supporters have called the group `` freedom fighters '' and digital Robin Hoods while critics have described them as `` a cyber lynch-mob '' or `` cyber terrorists '' . In 2012 , Time called Anonymous one of the `` 100 most influential people '' in the world .