Most people on the Internet have heard of Anonymous, the vigilante hacktivist group who have attacked everybody from ISIS to the NSA. This week, the group leaked a list of Ku Klux Klan members and FBI informants. Besides reminding us all that racism is still alive and kicking in America, this case highlights some of the problems and risks that vigilantism poses.

Three alleged FBI informants are on the list, one of whom was already revealed to the public. By disclosing the information, Anonymous has reduced the FBI’s ability to prevent future schemes hatched by members of the KKK. This is one of the central problems the group presents. Sometimes they end up destroying the ability of security agencies to do their jobs. Since the group is completely independent from law enforcement agencies, they do not coordinate at all and as a result can end up doing more harm than good. This issue has already come into play with the group’s self-proclaimed war against ISIS. Despite having good intentions, the group is actually shutting down the various resources that government and security agencies use to monitor ISIS. Since the group has no oversight, law enforcement agencies are powerless to stop its activities.

The lack of oversight presents another problem: How should law enforcement monitor Anonymous to ensure they do not do anything illegal or damaging? This group lacks a system of authority that can punish it for breaking the law. As a result, the group operates without the kinds of checks and balances that are built into the government. Unlike the NSA, they do not have to answer to the people, Congress or other intelligence agencies. This represents a very real threat to those who fall under their attack. Admittedly, their enemies are hardly people who could qualify as anything besides horrible, but they still deserve due process in a way that coincides with and represents American ideals.

Although Anonymous attacks organizations that deserve this sort of attention, their lack of oversight and ability to coordinate with other legitimate law enforcement and security organizations poses a real threat to American ideals. If members of the hacker group really want to make a difference they should join an organization that has oversight that is tasked with fighting the groups they target.

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