Banned from Google+, Anonymous creates Anonplus

 

 

Google has reportedly banned a handful of Anonymous members from Google+ (it's not exactly clear how many accounts were shut down). The hacktivist group likened Google's actions to the stories of activists being banned from Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, as well as governments blocking various websites using Internet censorship tools. As a result, Anonymous has decided to create its own social network: Anonplus, located at anonplus.com.

Currently, the site has only been announced. At the bottom left hand corner, it says "Revision :0.1 Alpha." While this version number is meant to indicate that the site is still very early in development, it's not a social network yet. There is no way to sign up or interact. Currently there's just one webpage with the Anonplus name, the motto "Social Networking Anonymously," and the heading "Welcome to Anonplus.com the Anonymous Social Networking site."

The only link is to the Dev Forum, which uses the Zetaboards forum software, and isn't even on the anonplus.com domain name. There are four subforums set up: The Logic, The Interface, General Chatter, and Staff Postions. At the time of writing, the forum already had over 100 registered members.

This initiative is an odd one because it jibes with what Anonymous is all about: getting things done anonymously. Still, it is technically possible to build a social network that doesn't share anything with anyone unless you specifically give it permission to. In fact, Anonplus will probably not encourage sharing information like your full name and location. Either way, the goal appears to be to build a social network where you can say and do anything you want.

"This is one social network that will not tolerate being shut down, censored, or oppressed - even in the face of blackout," an Anonymous spokesperson wrote in a statement. "We the people have had enough…enough of governments and corporations saying what's best for us - what's safe for our minds. The sheep era is over. The interwebz are no longer your prison."

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