Anonymous grew from apolitical prank culture into a principled activist force

Evidence

Where WikiLeaks weaponized the release of classified information, the decentralized hacktivist group Anonymous demonstrated the strength of a diversified digital arsenal. Emerging from the anarchic forums of 4chan’s /b/ board, Anonymous pioneered tactics such as distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, doxing, and even juvenile pranks such as ordering hundreds of pizzas to an enemy’s home. Initially, these “raids” were done for the “lulz,” with no explicit political ideology. But as the group targeted figures like racist right-wing radio host Hal Turner, it began to appear as a chaotic but principled force. — W. David Marx, Blank Space, 267