In lieu of recent government bills threatening the freedom of the internet, hacker group Anonymous has threatened to shut down Facebook, one of the world’s most popular social networks on January 28th, 2012. To read more about SOPA & PIPA, the bills inspiring all of this recent internet controversy, and the internet blackout protest, click here.

After the government took down file sharing website Megaupload, hackers got into the mix.

In the video released today on YouTube (below), Anonymous, the hacker group call on the American people for participation. By asking them to download Low Orbit Ion Cannon (LOIC), the tool that was successfully used to target the Department of Justice, they hope to  crash Facebook by sending thousands of information packets to their servers.

Since Facebook is one of the world’s largest websites, the hacker group has acknowledged the potential difficulty they will have in their attack.

In the voice of at least one Anonymous member, “While it is true that Facebook has at least 60,000 servers, it is still possible to bring it down,” says the Anonymous voice. “Anonymous needs the help of the people.”

“There is no way you can get caught,” said the member. “Hundreds of thousands of us citizens and those of the Anonymous idea will all be participating … This is your chance. Our chance. The fate of the Internet rests in your hands.”

One interesting point in this proposed attack is that Facebook came out publicly protesting SOPA and PIPA. Many are wondering why hackers would want to target the social network after they stated their protest.

This isn’t the first time we’ve heard this type of threat. Another network of hacktivists threatened to shut down the site on November 5th, 2011 – but it never happened. At least these hackers seem to have a sense of humor – the button they ask you to click reads ” IMMA CHARGIN MAH LASER.”

____________________

Do you think Anonymous will successfully shutdown Facebook this time?

—-

If you enjoy learning about new trending tech topics, gadgets, toys, and other digital creative fun stuff, you won’t want to miss out on our monthly Stress-Free Digital Lifestyle Newsletter!

We cover Tech Tips & Tricks, Creative Software, Important Security Updates, and the tech news stories you want to know about.

It’s FUN, it’s FREE, and it takes less than 10 seconds to sign up. Now that’s fast!