An anonymous group that met on 4Chan has announced it will contribute $75 million in Bitcoins to an “Unknown Fund” for the development of anonymizing technologies, including cryptocurrencies:
“The anonymous organisation Unknown Fund has announced that it intends to invest and donate $75 million in bitcoin to startups which directly or indirectly support the idea of anonymity. Preference will be given to the following niches: protection of personal data, tools for anonymity, cryptocurrency and blockchain.”
The parties behind the Unknown Fund say they are, “ordinary, anonymous people from different countries who met on the 4chan English-language imageboard.”
The group appears to bear some relationship to Anonymous, and includes an associated “brief” from Anonymous in the announcement:
“We are you, we are your sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, friends and colleagues. Our ranks consist of representatives of many countries and nationalities, united by a virtual comradely spirit and the belief that we are fighting for the good of many, and not for the benefit of some…Now the main goal of large corporations is to collect as much information as possible about the personal lives of people, and then use it for their enrichment. And they do a great job of it by making ordinary people get poorer. We are ready to fight for change and protect people.”
In a late 2017 at a public lecture at the University of Toronto, a cybersecurity researcher with Canadian military experience told the audience that certain Anonymous groups had been co-opted by foreign adversaries to the West, and, unbeknownst to them, were being directed to work in the interests of those adversaries.
The Unknown Fund says it, “sees the protection of personal data as one of the main challenges for modern man” and decries manipulation of public opinion through the exploitation of personal data:
“The use of data has already become a powerful tool for manipulating people. The effectiveness of this tool is both amazing and frightening…A perfect example is the level of addiction that the general population has to social networks – addiction orchestrated and achieved by corporations.”
The Unknown Fund says it sees, “incredible opportunities to protect the rights and freedoms of people that technology such as blockchain and cryptocurrencies give us. This is a chance for humanity to create a new environment, a new and honest monetary system, and to make the world a better place.”
A paragraph further down the announcement equates the Unknown Fund and Anonymous:
“Unknown Fund suggests investment in commercial startups and donations to nonprofit organizations. Investing is just the beginning. Anonymous have developed a number of strategies and methods that will be announced later.”
The Unknown Fund’s announcement ends with a statement from Anonymous in which the group vows to “fight as much as necessary”:
“If you believe in freedom of speech and the media, and most importantly, in a free and accessible Internet, then you are also Anonymous. Our opponents should not doubt our determination or conviction. We will continue to fight as much as necessary to achieve our goal.”