Hackers ain't what they used to be. The latest hacktivist offensive went after an Aussie hippie festival, a group that helps people with disabilities and other symbols of oppressive authoritarianism. They couldn't even take down Zynga, the dying game-making company. Pathetic. Remember when Anonymous was a big deal? There was a time when threats from the hacktivist collective actually meant something. They went after Sarah Palin, Sony, Amazon, PayPal, MasterCard, Visa, HBGary Federal. They went after governments, the Westboro Baptist Church and others. But arrests in the last couple of years seem to have sapped the group of its mojo. Now the claims seem to be far outstripping the actual accomplishments. In September, AntiSec, a.k.a. Anonymous Jr., claimed it broke into an FBI agent’s laptop and stole information on millions of Apple iPhone and iPad users. Only one problem with that – it was false. More evidence for the amazing disappearing mojo were revealed just this week as the group tried to make a big splash on Monday, which many of us think of as V for Vendetta Day, but is known in the UK as Guy Fawkes’ Day. Anonymous promised much and delivered little. They apparently did break into Symantec and ImageShack but the purported offensive against PayPal turned out to be a misstatement. Instead they went after a company called ZPanel. Who? For the most part, as The Register reported, it amounted to: Defacements against NBC.com sites and an Argentinian bank (cajapopular.gov.ar) as well as some distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks on Turkish government sites. Oh, and a number of websites in Australia were also defaced, namely: Ascension Australia (a hippie festival in Melbourne), Semcorp (a Australian web development company) and the Quality Lifestyle Alliance, an NGO – not an Australian government outfit as elements of Anonymous falsely claimed. (FYI: Quality Lifestyle Alliance provides aid to people with disabilities.) As if that’s not pathetic enough they also hit a Lady Gaga fan site. WAY TO STICK IT TO THE MAN! REVOLUTION IN THE STREETS!!! Is Equestria Daily – the web’s premiere source for news about My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic – next? Derpy Hooves, save me! Oh and they also failed to do anything to another company they promised to attack: Zynga, that source of evil, greed and oppression. Folks, have you looked at Zynga’s stock price recently? It’s doing the best it can to put itself out of business. I know you all are an anarchistic collective so controlling the membership isn’t what you’re all about, but could you maybe come up with a working definition of what is worth attacking and what isn’t? Otherwise you’re going to sink into real anonymity. Related content opinion Why Bitcoins are Just as Viable as Any Other Currency The true value of any currency is a reflection of how much people believe it's worth, according to CIO blogger Constantine von Hoffman. But it's wise to remember just how fast beliefs can change. By Constantine von Hoffman Apr 15, 2013 4 mins Government Technology Industry opinion No Surprise: Docs Show Obama Administration Lying About Drones President Obama has repeatedly said drones would only be used against members of al Qaida and allied groups. However, leaked intelligence documents show the administration has been using them to settle political and tribal feuds for at least four yea By Constantine von Hoffman Apr 10, 2013 3 mins Regulation Government opinion How Big Data Can Quickly Become Big Garbage The bigger the data the bigger the chance of mistakes or inaccuracies. In that vein, a large database used by retailers to screen people accused of stealing from employers is identifying innocent people and could result in major lawsuits, according t By Constantine von Hoffman Apr 04, 2013 2 mins Big Data opinion Why Crazy Trumps Logic on the Internet The earth is flat. Vaccines cause autism. 9/11 was a government conspiracy. These are just a few of the many ideas that continue to find adherents online despite overwhelming proof that they're not based on fact. CIO.com blogger Constantine von By Constantine von Hoffman Apr 02, 2013 3 mins Government Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe