Revision as of 01:53, 9 March 2015

Incognito "We do what we must because we can." Leader(s): Jimmy Duggan, Tom Harriott Base of Operations: Unknown Concept: Hacktivist Collective Founded: 2007 Members:

Incognito is a collective of so-called 'hacktivists' operating internationally. Regarded by some as cyber-vigilantes and terrorists, and by others as agents of true justice and liberty, the group's acts are as varied as their motives for engaging in them. While they have engaged in cyber warfare against known terrorist organizations like VIPER, Incognito has also disrupted the websites of various state, federal, and international law enforcement entities.

History

The beginning of Incognito is a foggy affair. A chat room based in the MC Atlas web forum, a Millennium City online discussion, is believed to have been the origin, or at least the catalyst. Citizens - often college-age and well-educated - would frequently post to this forum perceived abuses to property, people, or society at large by super heroes. In answer, a small collective of hackers banded together under the premise that their mastery of computer systems & programming would let them accomplish as much or more as heroes. They could hide behind the 'mask' of internet anonymity, without the rampant property damage or power concerns posed by costumed crime fighters.

One early stated goal of the group was to expose secret identities of meta-humans they deemed the worst offenders where the scale of property damage to crime fighting outcomes was in poor balance.

Members

Over 300 usernames of Incognito members have been identified, with approximately twenty subgroups. It should be noted that the exact number of members is obscured by the practice of having multiple aliases; some estimates suggest that Incognito is as few as forty people, and as many as a thousand.

Identified Members

Millennium City Three

In 2013 a protest organized by Incognito at the steps of the Champions building in Millennium City was broken up by police. The mask-wearing protesters dispersed, but several were detained, identified, and charged. These were Patrick Dean Wallace, Amy Pushkar, and Omar Zeda. The charges against them included various misdemeanors and felonies, which upon a guilty verdict could, in total, lead to a prison sentence of up to ten years.

MCPD were accused of mishandling the protest response, provoking the otherwise peaceful protesters to violence through a combination of intimidation, goading, and unnecessary force - claims with the MCPD disputes. Federal officials obtained warrants to seize computers belonging to the accused citing probable cause that the accused were affiliated with a known terrorist group, which some civil liberties advocates said was a major stretch given the crimes for which the defendants were accused had nothing to do with computers. The District Attorney has been accused of trumping up charges against the Three because of their association with cyber vigilantism, and the quality of the state's evidence, as well as its admissibility in court, is also in question. Some cyber crime experts speculate that information learned from the seizure of the defendants' computers might have shed much-needed light on how Incognito operates, but they are divided on whether the seizure was an over-reach.

Attempts by the defence to have the case dismissed have failed so far.

Incognito has, through its various web accounts, posted declarations that if the case is not thrown out, or the defendants are found guilty, that there will be a price for the MCPD to pay. State and Federal officials have denounced the threats and attempted to assure the public the justice will take its course.

Out of Character

Incognito's modus operandi is based upon real-world hacker groups, but modified to fit the superhero/comic book reality. If you wish to use Incognito in an RP storyline, please consult with @historiphile, who will graciously advise and, if desired, participate with you!