Ethics Assignment # 2

On January 2, 2011, when Tunisian government blocked Wikileaks in Tunisia, Anonymous got involved to stop censorship.  At that time, Tunisia was going under an intensive campaign of civil resistance, including a series of street demonstrations. The events began on 18 December 2010, the day after the self-immolation of Mohammed Bouazizi in Sidi Bouzid. Anonymous collectively launched its 'Operation Tunisia' retaliatory strike in early January, With OpTunisia. Anonymous launched a series of DDoS attacks against government websites. Additionally, Anonymous provided protesters with documents required to take down the incumbent government as well as distributing a care package, among other things, including Tor, and a grease monkey script to avoid proxy interception by the government. They also aided in passing information about the protests in and out of the country. On January 14th, Ben Ali dissolved his government and fled the country. In this case one side had all the state mechanism led by long standing president Ben Ali, and other side had only people’s power and which was being crushed and getting source less because of government actions.

 In this case I think Anonymous did the right thing to support the Tunisian people against its own oppressive government.

I did so, because, today’s World is a free place and everybody should have an opportunity to exercise their basic human rights including freedom of speech /online, and political freedom. Under Ben Ali’s Presidency (1987 to 2011) most of those rights were denied to Tunisian people. One of the Aljazeera report indicates that, “Looking at 220 companies owned by family members that were seized by Tunisian authorities after the regime fell, the World Bank determined that while the firms accounted for only three percent of economic output, they controlled 21 percent of net private sector profits. By tailoring regulations to meet only their companies' needs, the Ben Ali family structured Tunisia's economy to benefit themselves and their closest allies”. Ben Ali’s government was suppressing its own people and they needed some external help to get their voice heard in the international community.

Even though many people may argue that Anonymous interfered with a sovereign nation’s internal affairs, however this is a free World and society, nobody should be able to shut people’s voice with use of force. I believe, Anonymous provided them with resources and tools to protect themselves from Tunisian cyber police and get their voice heard to international community.

Whenever it comes down to making a choice between an oppressive government and majority of people; I will be standing by oppressed people, that’s my nature.  I can’t compromise with freedom of speech, political freedom and media access enjoyed by people in a free society. I support every move where somebody stands up for basic fundamental human rights.