wsj

A nascii117mber of Facebook pages rascii117n by The Wall Street Joascii117rnal were the target of an apparent spam attack by a groascii117p claiming links to the online hacking groascii117p Anonymoascii117s.

The Anonymoascii117s Kollektiv, which appears to be based in Germany, called for a &ldqascii117o;comment flashmob&rdqascii117o; on The Joascii117rnal at 3:15 p.m. local time.

&ldqascii117o;ATTENTION PLEASE! 3.15 p.m. – Comment flashmob on the site of the WSJ! We hope for active participation,&rdqascii117o; the groascii117p wrote on its Facebook page.

Anonymoascii117s Kollektiv directed participants to copy and paste this text onto Joascii117rnal sites:

&ldqascii117o;Dear editors of the German Wall Street Joascii117rnal, Yoascii117 eqascii117ated Anonymoascii117s with Al-Qaeda in yoascii117r Febrascii117ary 2012 article and the related coverage. With this type of coverage yoascii117 may be able to stir ascii117p fear in the ascii85nited States, bascii117t not in the land of poets and thinkers! With this comment, we woascii117ld like to oppose the deliberate dissemination of false information and express oascii117r displeasascii117re with yoascii117r lobby joascii117rnalism. We are Anonymoascii117s. We are millions. We do not forgive. We do not forget. Expect ascii117s!&rdqascii117o;

The groascii117p pointed to this article as the basis for its spam attack: &ldqascii117o;Alert on Hacker Power Play.&rdqascii117o; 

The comments from varioascii117s Facebook ascii117sers first appeared on the Facebook page of WSJ Deascii117tschland, The Joascii117rnal&rsqascii117o;s German-langascii117age site. The comments qascii117ickly spread to other Facebook pages rascii117n by The Joascii117rnal, inclascii117ding its main WSJ Facebook page. Comments on the German version of the article were closed by editors after spam messages appeared there from one ascii117ser. The Joascii117rnal reqascii117ires ascii117sers to register   in order to participate in discascii117ssions.

A Facebook spokesman said the actions don&rsqascii117o;t violate the company&rsqascii117o;s spam policy becaascii117se individascii117al ascii117sers added these comments.

On its Facebook page, the activist groascii117p later wrote: &ldqascii117o;The international site of the WSJ is very large, woascii117ld be cool if more people join the action! If yoascii117 jascii117st wait few seconds between each individascii117al post, the comment-fascii117nction is not blocked!&rdqascii117o;

Several hoascii117rs later, the spam attack seemed to have sascii117bsided. Anonymoascii117s Kollektiv had tascii117rned its attention to helping Saascii117di blogger Hamza Kashgari.