Hacking collective Anonymous' actions have led to the removal of more than 5,500 alleged ISIS Twitter accounts, according to The Independent. The hacking collective began leaking personal information of people suspected to be extremists, which ultimately led to Twitter removing their accounts. The moves come directly after the group declared war on ISIS on Monday in response to the deadly terrorist attacks that took place in Paris, as previously reported by HNGN.
In addition to indirectly taking down Twitter accounts, Anonymous has directly taken down approximately 149 ISIS-related websites, according to RT.
"Our capability to take down ISIS is a direct result of our collective's sophisticated hackers, data miners, and spies that we have all around the world," said Alex Poucher, a spokesman for Anonymous. "We have people very, very close to ISIS on the ground, which makes gathering intel about ISIS and related activities very easy for us."
None of the personal information of the suspected extremists has been verified as of yet, and due to instances in the past where Anonymous has leaked false information, many are wary of the group's knowledge of ISIS.
Although removing ISIS from Twitter limits its ability to spread propaganda and recruit new members, it also means that investigators are limited in their ability to gather communication patterns, membership demographics and identify members with geotagging, according to New Republic.
For better or for worse, Anonymous does not intend on stopping its war on ISIS.
"Anonymous from all over the world will hunt you down," said an Anonymous spokesman. "You should know that we will find you and we will not let you go."
