The hacker collective Anonymous launched a division devoted to investigative reporting last month, marking a departure from the group’s traditional practice of exposing corporations through hacking attacks.

Anonymous Analytics will bring together “analysts, forensic accountants, statisticians, computer experts and lawyers from various jurisdictions and backgrounds” to reveal corporate corruption through detailed reports, the group said on its website.

All research will be fact checked and vetted for authenticity before release, it said, and sources can provide tips via an encrypted drop box. The group published one report already: a lengthy and seemingly well-researched review of Chinese agricultural firm Chaoda Modern Agriculture.

With its ostensibly secure, low-profile operation, Anonymous Analytics may be able to attract serious experts, researchers and sources who prefer not to deal with traditional investigative firms. –ARK

Security Watchdog:

Anonymous Analytics, a faction of Anonymous, has moved the issue of transparency from the political level to the corporate level,” said a statement on the site.

“To this end, we use our unique skill sets to expose companies that practise poor corporate governance and are involved in large-scale fraudulent activities.”

… If the group keeps up the same level of scrutiny and commitment, it may well have greater success bringing corrupt organisations to account than by more controversial methods such as DDoS and hacking attacks.

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