"Anonymous releases list of alleged KKK members."

The hacker group Anonymous on Thursday released its much anticipated trove of purported information about the Ku Klux Klan's membership.

The large data dump includes nearly two-dozen social media pages allegedly affiliated with the KKK and information on nearly 400 people, including names, email addresses, Facebook pages and known aliases.

“We consider this data dump as a form of resistance against the violence and intimidation tactics leveraged against the public by various members of Ku Klux Klan groups throughout history,” said Operation KKK, the team that has been leading Anonymous’s online onslaught against the Klan, in the preamble to the release.

No politicians or government officials were apparent in an initial review of the data, although several of the names were identified as retired law enforcement officers. Some of the names on the list have already been identified through previously published reports.

The information on the list has not been verified by the KKK or any other independent authority.

While the leak falls short of the promise to “unmask” 1,000 KKK members, the release is fairly robust, especially given the delayed release, which led some to wonder if any information was coming at all.

“We removed several names from our list for further investigation. We would rather have a smaller, accurate list that we are comfortable with,” OpKKK tweeted shortly after releasing the list. […]

H/T: The Hill

Update: Some writers are cautioning everyone "Don't believe the headlines." At least not just yet anyway

Jon Fingas: :
Here's one extra reason to take the supposed leaks with a grain of salt: it names Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero as a KKK member. As she explains, that's ridiculous on its face. She's part of an interracial family, launched an initiative to reduce violence among "men of color" and has pushed hard for LGBT rights. In other words, at least some of the current list is dodgy.

Moreover, the Anonymous-affiliated Operation KKK account on Twitter maintains that it hasn't released any information yet. What data you've seen so far may not have been vetted properly, if it isn't out-and-out false. In other words: don't count on anything being truthful, at least not before November 5th. [….]

H/T: Engadget