<P> Dozens of people have been arrested for involvement in Anonymous cyberattacks, in countries including the US, UK, Australia, the Netherlands, Spain, India and Turkey . Evaluations of the group's actions and effectiveness vary widely . Supporters have called the group "freedom fighters" and digital Robin Hoods while critics have described them as "a cyber lynch - mob" or "cyber terrorists". In 2012, Time called Anonymous one of the "100 most influential people" in the world . </P> <P> Long - standing political question that has gone unanswered with often tragic consequences for social movements . This is an Internet - based, non-extremist, socialist community movement that looks for answers to questions that are unanswered . </P> <P> Internal dissent is also a regular feature of the group . A website associated with the group describes it as "an Internet gathering" with "a very loose and decentralized command structure that operates on ideas rather than directives". Gabriella Coleman writes of the group, "In some ways, it may be impossible to gauge the intent and motive of thousands of participants, many of who don't even bother to leave a trace of their thoughts, motivations, and reactions . Among those that do, opinions vary considerably ." </P> <P> Broadly speaking, Anons oppose Internet censorship and control, and the majority of their actions target governments, organizations, and corporations that they accuse of censorship . Anons were early supporters of the global Occupy movement and the Arab Spring . Since 2008, a frequent subject of disagreement within Anonymous is whether members should focus on pranking and entertainment or more serious (and, in some cases, political) activism . </P>

Who is anonymous and what do they stand for