Members of the hacking collective Anonymous say they are preparing to release a list identifying thousands of members of the Ku Klux Klan in an operation they're calling "Hoods Off 2015."
In an online posting, the group said they would be posting a "tweetstorm" on Wednesday and would then release the names of the alleged Klansmen the next day.
The release coincides with Anonymous' planned Million Mask March, an annual event held on November 5th (Guy Fawkes Day).
Ahead of the planned release, one Twitter account long associated with the collective shared what it said was several data dumps containing the phone numbers and email addresses of alleged KKK members. One named several U.S. senators and mayors. The account said the information was "found on KKK website databases."
Regarding #OpKKK: the phone numbers and e-mail adresses were found on KKK website databases. Be careful with the information and fact-check— Anonymous (@YourAnonNews) November 2, 2015
It wasn't immediately clear who was behind the documents. A member of Anonymous' "Hoods Off" team told Mashable that the list was not part of their efforts. A Twitter account associated with that group said it hadn't released any information, and it believe in "due diligence and will NOT recklessly involve innocent individuals."
The anons at the helm of this initiative vouch ONLY for the dox list that will be released from this Twitter account on November 5 2015.— Operation KKK (@Operation_KKK) November 2, 2015
We respect the work of our fellow freedom fighters. However, we are unable to confirm, deny or take credit for any work that we did not do.— Operation KKK (@Operation_KKK) November 2, 2015
The pastebin links sent to us regarding #OpKKK were sent to us by Anonymous individuals. The actual release for Operation KKK will be 5 Nov.— Anonymous (@YourAnonNews) November 2, 2015
Still, some of the politicians named in the initial documents took to social media to deny their involvement with the KKK, including Jim Gray, Mayor of Lexington, Kentucky, and Madeline Rogero, mayor of Knoxville, Tennessee.
I am opposed to everything the KKK stands for. I have no idea where this information came from, but wherever it came from, it is wrong.— Mayor Jim Gray (@JimGrayLexKY) November 2, 2015
(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.3"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));I’m not even sure this is worth responding to, but for the record: There is a list circulating online purporting to “out...Posted by Mayor Madeline Rogero on Monday, November 2, 2015
Meanwhile, one mayor who is facing heat over KKK affiliations is Theresa Sharp in Lahoma, Oklahoma.
Sharp's husband was captured on camera in what resembled a KKK robe, alongside others, in what is being dismissed as a "Halloween prank."
The incident gained traction when the photo made its way onto social media.
(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.3"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));Please don't tell me racism is dead! This just happened a few miles outside of Enid. A little town called Lahoma. And to make matters worse, one of them was the mayor of Lahoma's husband! The mayors HUSBAND!Posted by Alfred Baldwin III on Sunday, November 1, 2015
Mayor Sharp apologized and told News 9 how the photo came to be: "Sit around the bonfire and drink a couple of beers and thought well my buddy his last name is White and the subject got brung (sic) up. We just thought it'd be something to do and it's not something to do. I am embarrassed. I've shamed my family and friends and I apologize for that."
She added, "I just don't condone it regardless of who it is... It's not anything that I think needs to be represented for our community at all."
In its press release announcing the forthcoming leaks, the group said it wasn't "oppressing" the Ku Klux Klan nor stripping its members of freedom of speech. "You are legally free to live and be any which way you choose to live and be. Keep in mind, it is not illegal nor oppressive to hurt your feelings," the release said. "With that said, we are stripping you of your anonymity. This is not a threat, but rather a promise."