Anonymous publish "how to hack ISIS" guide
Yesterday, Anonymous posted various guides focused on how newcomers can help to hack ISIS, including a "noob's guide" to hacking. Whilst this may draw more people into its campaign against ISIS, it may also start a new phenomenon - a crowd-sourced witch-hunt.

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Anonymous’s “war” on Isis is leading to innocent people being wrongly reported as members of the militant group.

The 'hacktivist' network launched an operation to identify and shut down the accounts of Islamic extremists in the wake of the attacks in Paris, but people who are not affiliated to Isis appear to have been identified as part of the group, according to reports on social media.

At least one person identified was correctly identified as part of the operation. But the Anonymous-affiliated user who first reported his identity has reversed the claim, after criticism that details being shared on Twitter was incorrect and that the person identified was not involved with the group.

The site claims it has found and shut down more than 5,500 Isis Twitter accounts. In line with previous operations — including one launched in the wake of Charlie Hebdo — the group is largely working to find accounts on Twitter and then have them suspended by reporting them to the network.

Anonymous has previously appeared to have problems with its verification processes, including in a recent high-profile operation against the Ku Klux Klan. Activists affiliated with Anonymous leaked a supposed list of members of the group, but many of the identities on there appeared not to be genuine.

Recommended Read more Anonymous begins publishing details of suspected extremists

People affiliated with the group also wrongly identified a person that it claimed was the police officer who killed Michael Brown in Ferguson. It had, in fact, named another police officer who didn’t work as part of the local force, and his family were reportedly forced into hiding.

A person who claims to be behind the Operation Paris account told the BBC that those involved in the operation “run effective verification of intel (intelligence), and make sure that our leads are legitimate before we attack them”.

In pictures: Saint-Denis raid Show all 33 1 / 33 In pictures: Saint-Denis raid In pictures: Saint-Denis raid A man is arrested by police officers at the site where a raid happened in the city center of Saint-Denis, near Paris In pictures: Saint-Denis raid Hooded police officers detain a man in Saint-Denis, near Paris In pictures: Saint-Denis raid Hooded police officers detain a man in Saint-Denis, near Paris In pictures: Saint-Denis raid Police officers detain a man on the ground inside a shopping mall in Saint-Denis In pictures: Saint-Denis raid Police officers arrest a man in Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of Paris In pictures: Saint-Denis raid French police officers storm a church after a raid in Paris suburb Saint-Denis In pictures: Saint-Denis raid Police officers at work at the site where a raid happened in the city center of Saint-Denis In pictures: Saint-Denis raid Some people are being transferred to a local hospital near the site of this morning police raid in Saint-Denis In pictures: Saint-Denis raid Residents are evacuated in Saint-Denis In pictures: Saint-Denis raid Inhabitants are evacuated from a security perimeter set in the northern Paris suburb of Saint-Denis city center In pictures: Saint-Denis raid Families are evacuated by police members at the site were a police raid happened in the city center of Saint-Denis In pictures: Saint-Denis raid Rescue teams take care of an injured police officer at the site where a police raid happened in the city center of Saint-Denis In pictures: Saint-Denis raid Members of special French RAID forces with a police dog and French riot police (CRS) secure the area during an operation in Saint-Denis In pictures: Saint-Denis raid Police forces operate in Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of Paris In pictures: Saint-Denis raid French riot police (CRS), soldiers, firefighters and health workers stand at the scene in Saint-Denis In pictures: Saint-Denis raid French riot police (CRS) secure the area as shots are exchanged in Saint-Denis Reuters In pictures: Saint-Denis raid Rescue teams and police gather at the site where raid happened in the city center of Saint-Denis In pictures: Saint-Denis raid Soldiers operate in Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of Paris AP In pictures: Saint-Denis raid Police officers take up positions in Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of Paris AP In pictures: Saint-Denis raid Police and Ambulance vans are parked in Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of Paris AP In pictures: Saint-Denis raid A resident is being searched by police officers in Paris suburb Saint-Denis AP In pictures: Saint-Denis raid Members of French police special forces in the northern Paris suburb of Saint-Denis city center, as French Police special forces raid an appartment, hunting those behind the attacks that claimed 129 lives in the French capital In pictures: Saint-Denis raid Anti-terrorist police raid apartment in Saint Denis, Paris. Reports suggest the target of the police siege in Saint-Denis is Abdelhamid Abaaoud, thought to be the mastermind behind the Paris attacks. Three suspected terrorists have barricaded themselves in an apartment gunfire has been exchanged between the men and dozens of armed police Rex In pictures: Saint-Denis raid French special police forces secure the area as shots are exchanged in Saint-Denis Reuters In pictures: Saint-Denis raid French police evacuate residents in Saint-Denis Reuters In pictures: Saint-Denis raid Police officers take up positions in Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of Paris AP In pictures: Saint-Denis raid Police forces prepare in Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of Paris AP In pictures: Saint-Denis raid French spolice stop and search a local resident as shots are exchanged in Saint-Denis In pictures: Saint-Denis raid French police members participate in an raid in the city center of Saint-Denis EPA In pictures: Saint-Denis raid French special police forces secure the area as shots are exchanged in Saint-Denis Reuters In pictures: Saint-Denis raid Firemen wait for the develop of the operation in the city center of Saint-Denis EPA In pictures: Saint-Denis raid French police secure the area as shots are exchanged in Saint-Denis Reuters In pictures: Saint-Denis raid French special police forces secure the area as shots are exchanged in Saint-Denis Reuters

“In some cases, they could be sympathisers or followers that republish horrifying display,” the man, whose name is unknown, said.

“We guarantee that we are not making false accusations to those who aren't actually involved.”

What do we know about the Paris attackers?

The group has also drawn criticism from other hacktivists. The Jester, an anonymous online hacker, said the group’s efforts were unlikely to amount to much.

"It's the usual case of Anonymous jumping on a current big news story," he told Tech Insider.

"It'll amount to a hill of beans like always."

The Jester has taken on those behind the “OpParis” Twitter account, which has served as a repository and broadcast platform for much of the information about suspected extremists that is being shared.

The Jester claimed the original video was likely uploaded as a stunt in itself, and that the group was forced to try and make an impact on Twitter as a way of backing up the claims in the video.

The hacker has also claimed in the past that Anonymous itself has been used by Isis and other terror movements as a way of furthering their reach online.