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The latest target of the hacktivist group, Anonymous is the Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) NFT collection—or so it seems. The group on Sunday, August 14, posted a video on Twitter promising to investigate various allegations against BAYC. More specifically, Anonymous is looking into the accusations of racism, simianism, Nazism, and occultism against the top NFT collectible. However, NFT Twitter is questioning the authenticity of the video. Here’s all you need to know about the Anonymous group’s message for BAYC holders.
In the video, Anonymous said that BAYC NFT traits have been accused of involving racism, simianism, occultism, and even pedophilia. “As we navigate through the curated research that openly ties the artwork to these accusations, we can’t help but wonder why none of these accusations have actually been put to rest.”
The group added that while they are aware of the responses from Yuga Labs, they have not come across anything “labeled as unrefuted”. “Anonymous wants to take the time to open a discussion about the BAYC collection…We don’t believe in half measures and want to be thorough with our investigation.”
Anonymous further said that the investigation against the “heinous accusations” may take several months. “BAYC collectors and enthusiasts, we feel empathy for what you may be going through right now. Even just allegations can be truly unsettling but the thought of even one of these allegations being true, must be intolerable to think of.”
The accusations against BAYC started back in January this year when Ryder Ripps’ claimed that Yuga Labs founders have deep links to alt-right 4chan meme culture. He claimed that the BAYC collection is racist and went on to liken the BAYC logo to the Nazi Totenkopf emblem. He even set up a website called gordongoner.com to detail the issues with BAYC.
In response, Yuga Labs released multiple statements denying the accusations. Furthermore, the firm filed a lawsuit against Ryder Ripps for false advertising, trademark infringement, unjust enrichment, and misleading consumers.
Soon after the Anonymous group’s message for BAYC holders, many NFT users have come forward to question the authenticity of the video. For instance, BookSweepers claimed that the Twitter account that posted the video, as well as its linked Instagram and YouTube pages, are fake.
In fact, while unverified, the Anonymous Twitter account (handle @YourAnonNews ) has over 7.9 million followers. As opposed, the Twitter account ( handle @anonewsco) that posted the BAYC video only has 14,100 followers.
Early this year, the real Anonymous Twitter page had also called out a DeFi token that the fake account shilled a few months back. They also added that they are not on Facebook, TikTok, or YouTube. Interestingly, early this month, an Anonymous verified Facebook page posted (now deleted) praising Ryder Ripps and Pauly Cohen.
Some community members have also alleged that the video is from Ripps himself. “From what I’ve seen, they don’t record camera angles from different views of the speaker,” tweeted Jay-Albert.eth. “He also sounds similar to Ryder and team to me. I think it’s fake.”
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This article is educational material.
As always, make your own research prior to making any kind of investment.
Reethu Ravi is a journalist based in India, covering environment, sustainability, tech and innovation. When not found between the pages of a book, she can be seen catching up on the latest developments in the tech world. A naval architect-turned journalist, she loves bringing stories of change and innovation to the limelight.
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