For those that follow the Ultimate Fighting Championship and its president Dana White, then you would know that this guy isn’t afraid of many things in life. After growing up in the tough streets of Boston, MA, and even having run-ins with local organized crime bosses, one can infer that White isn’t one to back down from anyone.
Having that said, it appears that the ever outspoken UFC prez has not only met his match, but is also currently in the midst of a full-out war with the Anonymous: a group of Internet hackers. It all started when White publicly expressed his and Zuffa’s support for the defunct Stop Online Piracy Act.
“Is [Stop Online Piracy Act] the perfect bill? No, it’s not. The only thing that we’re focused on is piracy. Piracy is stealing,” White said. “If you walk into a store and you steal a gold watch, it’s the same as stealing a pay-per-view. I don’t care what your twisted, demented idea of stealing is. These kids who grew up on the Internet never had to pay for anything, so they don’t think that you should have to.”
The international hacktivist group, who had apparently decided to tamper with all the websites who supported the SOPA bill — including CBS, The Huffington Post, and others — gave the MMA organization the same treatment and redirected the URL on UFC.com.
That was followed by a heated Twitter exchange:
- YourAnonNews Anonymous: Ahoy @danawhite – what do you have against the Internet? We’re just curious, as we were quite surprised at the harsh tone of your comments.
- YourAnonNews Anonymous: @danawhite – I’m curious, do you support what we do, in terms of activism & raising public awareness of critical security/privacy issues?
- danawhite Dana White: @YourAnonNews I love the Internet. It helped us grow our biz. Stealing is stealing! And hacking into people’s s*** is terrorism.
- danawhite Dana White: @YourAnonNews same guys on the net bitching about fighter pay are the ones who are stealing from them. That are our partners on PPV!
- danawhite Dana White: @YourAnonNews and yes cowards hide on the Internet! At least I’m man enough to say all my s*** in public and not hide behind a screen name!!
- danawhite Dana White: @YourAnonNews no i’m a fight promoter. I put on fights. People are stealing my s*** on the net and selling it or selling ads on it.
- AnonyOps Anonymous: @danawhite tell that to the freedom fighters in Syria (and in many other countries) who, if their names were known, they’d be murdered.Retweeted by YourAnonNews
- YourAnonNews Anonymous: @danawhite Just because you’re a “fight promoter” doesn’t mean you can’t also have an opinion on social issues that affect society.
- YourAnonNews Anonymous: @danawhite – So all our activism, mass protests, & helping Arab Spring fighters around surveillance to organise…you do not support?
- danawhite Dana White: @YourAnonNews me and my partners have busted our ass for 10 years to build the sport and co. When you steal you should be dealt with! Agree?
- AnonyOps Anonymous: @danawhite your characterization of anonymous persons betrays a gross ignorance of government reprisals.Retweeted by YourAnonNews
- YourAnonNews Anonymous: @danawhite Your generalisation of us & online activists as cowards/terrorists disappoints us. Many are fighting 4 positive social change.
- AnonyOps Anonymous: I propose an MMA fight between Anonymous and @danawhite … Our martial art: the internet.Retweeted by YourAnonNews
- danawhite Dana White: @jcrugzz listen if you guys want to change the world, good for you! Just don’t steal my s***.
- YourAnonNews Anonymous: bwahahahah RT @CabinCr3w: Tossing some logs on the fire… expecting @danawhite soon. #CabinCr3w
- YourAnonNews Anonymous: @danawhite here, maybe this will show you what our work is and online work is important – Our work in Egypt: wearelegionthedocumentary.com/2012/turning-t…
- danawhite Dana White: @YourAnonNews idk anything about it. Not my deal. I have my own daily battles. IRS are not mine and mine are not yours.
- danawhite Dana White: @YourAnonNews I’m sure you do but if u are ok with streaming my product or f*** with my website that’s not the way to do it.
- YourAnonNews Anonymous: d0x on @danawhite – (link withheld) #CabinCr3w via: @CabinCr3w:
Since then, White has been lashing out publicly against the Internet hackers on various interviews and challenging them to hack into the company’s website again.
“Keep hacking our site, do it again. Do it tonight,” White said. “These guys look like terrorists now and a bill that was about to die, is about to come back.”
Anonymous responded by overtaking the site for a second time in a week, but made it clear that UFC.com was no longer in their interests because of White’s actions. @joshthgod, who took credit for the site’s hacking, issued the following warning:
“@danawhite We don’t want your site anymore. We are going after YOU! Follow me for tonights exciting events! #ufc #sopa #acta #pipa.”
Thus, White’s alleged personal information including his social security and cell phone numbers were posted on the site Pastebin, along with his home address, legal cases and even his wife’s name and family information. Another version was released a few moments later, without his wife’s name and/or other family related info.
The group is also accused of having hacked into Jeff Bewkes, CEO of media conglomerate Time Warner, and New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s computers and also posted their personal information on the Web. In a recent interview, White touched on the subject [Watch video starting at 7:50].
“I’m not out there fixing UFC.com. Nobody’s information was compromised,” White said during an interview with Mauro Ranallo regarding the hacking of the company’s site. “They went in there and moved our URL, so if you went there it opened to another site.
“I’m not afraid of the Internet. The Internet doesn’t scare me! It scares you because that’s where you live and breath and, who’s gonna watch your stuff and who’s gonna get behind you and all that stuff. The Internet is where the cowards live!
“If you wanna come on and you wanna be a terrorist, or you wanna come on and act like a jerk on Twitter, mine isn’t the one to do it on. You should probably go follow somebody else, cause I’m not afraid of the Internet, I’m not afraid of these guys that hide behind a computer.
“There’s this thing that’s out there about ‘you can’t stop the Internet’. No! Let me tell you who you can’t stop and who you can’t mess with: the government. You guys on the Internet — doing all this goofy stuff, playing your little nerd games — you’ve pissed some people off, including me and you don’t scare me.
“Sit back and see what happens during the next several months. And just like any other war, any other fight, that’s what this is gonna be. They always talk about me, and bullying people, or whatever; I’m not a bully, man. If you wanna fight with me, let’s fight. We’re gonna fight then! These guys are hacking my website, what do you want me to do [say] ‘stop hacking my website.’ No, I’m gonna kick your ass. Go ahead you wanna keep playing these games? Play ‘em, you’re gonna lose!”
I guess Dana White can expect more phone calls like this:
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