The website for the Central Intelligence Agency is down at this hour, and a shadowy network of hackers have claimed credit. Anonymous (a group that Gothamist.com has no beef with!) Tweeted "CIA Tango down." ("Tango down," the AP notes, is an expression used by the US Special Forces when they have eliminated an enemy.) A later Tweet explains that Anonymous does it for "the LULZ." more ›

On Monday, the hacking group Anonymous revealed the personal information of NYPD Deputy Inspector Anthony Bologna, who allegedly discharged pepper spray on demonstrators during Saturday's Occupy Wall Street protests. Now, a blogger for Daily Kos has released video of a second use of pepper spray by the NYPD showing Deputy Inspector Bologna discharging pepper spray on bystanders, the camera operator, and in the immediate vicinity of a fellow NYPD officer. more ›

As the protests against corporate greed and the "occupation" of the Financial District continues for a third day, at least seven demonstrators have been arrested. According to Bloomberg News, two were arrested for trying to enter a Bank of America building, another for jumping a police barrier, and four more for "wearing masks in violation of a law that bars two or more participants from doing so." This law dates back to 1845 in the Anti-Rent era—a time when a wealthy few owned feudal-esque leases to maintain control of tenants. Absolutely nothing like today! more ›

Protesting the global hegemony of monied interests down in the Financial District is bound to make you hungry, and you can only scream "CAPITALIST WHORE" so many times before you need to wet your whistle. Thankfully, Luke's Lobster's on William Street downtown has you seafood-inclined dissident's covered. A newly-acquired liquor license has allowed them to start pouring suds for the first time today, just as Craft Beer Week arrives. Beers are just $4-5, nowhere near Cipriani prices. more ›

A loose coalition of left-leaning groups like Adbusters and Anonymous are beginning their "occupation" of Wall Street today at noon. Their goal is to "see 20,000 people flood into lower Manhattan, set up tents, kitchens, peaceful barricades, and occupy Wall Street for a few months." According to the protest's website, a "leaked bulletin from the New York Police Department reveals that they expect at least 5,000" to show up today, and ask participants to being "warm clothing" along with other provisions due to the recent cold snap. Mayor Bloomberg told his eponymous news organization, "People have a right to protest, and if they want to protest, we’ll be happy to make sure they have locations to do it. As long as they do it where other people’s rights are respected, this is the place where people can speak their minds." more ›

A loose group of left-leaning groups such as Adbusters Magazine, the hacking group Anonymous, and We Are the 99% have announced that they will "occupy" Wall Street on September 17th for an indefinite period of time. The goal is to have 20,000 people "flood into lower Manhattan, set up tents, kitchens, peaceful barricades, and occupy Wall Street for a few months." Essentially it will bring the Hoovervilles to the well-heeled. A Tahrir Square moment, if you will. "Once there, we shall incessantly repeat one simple demand until Barack Obama capitulates," an event organizer tells CBS. But what demand would that be? That all hinges on a Facebook poll, which is totally what Gandhi would have done. more ›

Yesterday's FBI raid on Anonymous was bigger than it initially appeared. In addition to busting into the homes of, but not arresting, six alleged hackers in Brooklyn (including one in the McKibbin lofts) and Long Island, the feds charged 14 people yesterday with taking part in cyber attacks on PayPal's servers after the site stopped accepting money for WikiLeaks. They also made two additional related arrests. more ›

The Feds are zeroing in on Anonymous. Or trying to. Fox News (in need of a distraction perhaps) is reporting that early this morning the FBI raided the homes of three suspected members of the computer collective. Not that the group of loosely affiliated activist hackers seem too worried. more ›

[UPDATE BELOW] Gawker Media's commenting database has been hacked and various Gawker sites are asking commenters to change passwords, adding, "We're deeply embarrassed by this breach. We should not be in the position of relying on the goodwill of the hackers who identified the weakness in our systems. And, yes, the irony is not lost on us." Below, screengrabs of the hack on Gawker, which has been removed from the site. more ›

One day, you're anonymously trashing a woman who badmouthed you to your boyfriend. Months later, because the woman is upset about being called a "psychotic, lying, whoring..skank," your identity has given up by Google! Unmasked Skanks in NYC blogger Rosemary Port tells the Daily News about her planned $15 million suit against Google (her website was on Google-owned Blogger), "When I was being defended by attorneys for Google, I thought my right to privacy was being protected. But that right fell through the cracks. Without any warning, I was put on a silver platter for the press to attack me. I would think that a multi-billion dollar conglomerate would protect the rights of all its users." more ›

A former Australian Vogue cover model, whose modeling career ended last year after a doorman disfigured her face with a broken bottle, has obtained a court order to learn the identity of an anonymous blogger who created a site called "Skanks in NYC" to insult her. The site, which was hosted by Google subsidiary Blogger.com, featured photos of Liskula Cohen with captions using the words "skank," "ho" and "whoring." (It's no longer active, but Blogger says "the name skanksnyc is available to register!") A Manhattan judge ruled yesterday that Cohen is entitled to file a defamation lawsuit, and Google must reveal the blogger's identity in order for her to do so. Speaking to the Post, Cohen's lawyer said something that might give some website commenter trolls pause: "The rules for defamation on the Web—for actual reality as well as virtual reality—are the same. The Internet is not a free-for-all." But a lawyer for the Skanks in NYC blogger insists, "You can be really, really mean to people—you just can't lie about a set of facts that are provable as lies." As for Cohen, she tells the Post, "I really hope it's not somebody I know." more ›

[UPDATE BELOW] A small but growing collective of shallow, gold-digging sybarites (numbering at least 30) have banded together and formed Dating a Banker Anonymous [DABA], a support group intended to help them cope with the recession's effects on their relationships. The Times got the scoop on this acquisitive little coven, which isn't really anonymous at all, perhaps because these young ladies want to be sure any remaining males with means know they're available. Megan Petrus and Laney Crowell (pictured), both 27, started the group in November because, with their relationships suffering, "We put two and two together and figured out that it was the economy, not us." more ›

Bad idea pubic hair: The Daily News got word of 18-year-old Matt Connor's recent Scientology prank involving Vaseline, toe nail clippings, and yes, pubes. After getting all slathered up, Connor (a member of Anonymous, an anti-Scientology group, who told cops his name was Mahoud Samed Almahadin) headed to the West 46th Street Scientology center and "tossed a number of books around, then smeared the petroleum jelly on a TV set, shelves." Words don't really do the scenario justice—just watch the video below (though be warned: it's not for the weak of heart, or stomach). more ›

Scouting NYC is a website run by an anonymous location scout in New York. The site explains: "My day is basically spent combing the streets for interesting and unique locations for feature films. In my travels, I often stumble across some pretty incredible sights, most of which are ignored every day by thousands of New Yorkers in too much of a rush to pay attention." Now anonyscout keeps a record of all the nooks the rest of us may not be seeing, and took some time off the beaten path to answer our questions about the job, the city and what the rest of us are missing. more ›

As expected, Scientology protesters turned out last night to demonstrate at the red carpet opening of Arthur Miller's tragedy All My Sons, which, you'll recall, features Katie Holmes, Scientological wife of big shot Operating Thetan Level VII Tom Cruise. The Risky Business star wasn't in the audience last night (he caught an earlier preview), but other boldface attendees included Patricia Clarkson, Barbara Walters, and Isabella Rossellini. One of the protesters told WPIX, "Our main focus right now is getting Katie out of Scientology. There's been news going around the tabloids saying she would like to get out." As for her Broadway debut, Big Ben Brantley at the Times says she "delivers most of her lines with meaningful asperity, italicizing every word...and I didn’t believe for a second that she really loved the honorable, naïve Chris." [Photo cred.] more ›

While NYC continues its battle with Tom for Katie, All My Sons, the Arthur Miller play Holmes has been working so hard on, will soon open on Broadway. She may not have sold many tickets, but The Daily News reports that the anti-Scientology group Anonymous will be turning out in droves wearing their V for Vendetta masks (they should really look in to wearing the Tom Cruise Vanilla Sky masks). When the play had its first preview performance the group paraded on the outskirts with signs that read: "Scientology Kills" and "Free Katie, keep Tom." No doubt a pack of Scientologists will also be on hand; last time they reportedly taunted the Anonymous group by chanting: "Let's break all the windows at the Org," (the Scientology headquarters on West 46th Street). Which is kind of a confusing taunt, but what do you expect from people who actually read Dianetics? more ›

Getting inspiration from the Ghost Bikes around town, a 26-year-old female artist has hung a handmade sign on the corner of Meserole and Humboldt in Brooklyn. This is her first piece of street art, and it reads: "A woman was raped by a stranger on this block. Please protect your friends, lover, sister, daughter, mother, grandmother, niece, cousin, neighbor, the woman you hear call for help late one night. 1 in 6 women in this country have been victims of rape or attempted rape. This needs to stop happening." The message is burned into a piece of wood, and surrounded by flowers made from cans. more ›

It's a $20 million miracle for an East Village church slated for demolition! An anonymous donor has given a multi-million donation to the struggling parish and its school: There's $10 million for the restoration of the the church, $2 million for a parish endowment and $8 million to support St. Brigid's school and other Catholic schools. more ›

Yesterday’s protest outside the headquarters on 46th Street amounted to roughly 100 masked gadflies cracking wise and chanting anti-Scientology slogans like “Tax the Cult”. Besides objecting to Scientology’s tax-exempt status, the protesters also blame the church for the death of adherent Lisa McPherson in 1995, their alleged use of child labor, and their “fair game” policy of aggressively silencing critics. Yesterday would have been McPherson’s 49th birthday. more ›