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Anonymous threatens Fox News Web site over Occupy coverage

Hacker group says in a new video it will take down the network's Web site on November 5 for what it calls biased coverage of the Occupy Wall Street protests.

Steven Musil Night Editor / News
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Anonymous plans to take down the Fox News Web site on November 5, according to a new video apparently released by the hacker group.

The group said it is targeting the network for what it called biased news coverage of the Occupy Wall Street protests occurring in cities across the country.

The network's "continued right-wing, conservative propaganda against the occupations" is the group's catalyst for its intention of "destroying the Fox News Web site," a digitally generated voice on the video explains. "Since they will not stop belittling the occupiers, we will simply shut them down."

The group had earlier vowed to take down Facebook on November 5 as well, although there was some question about the credibility of that threat within Anonymous.

The date--November 5--is commonly referred to as Guy Fawkes day in honor of the Brit who tried to blow up parliament in the Gunpowder Plot of 1604. Fawkes was immortalized in "V For Vendetta," a 2006 movie about a freedom fighter who uses terrorist tactics against a totalitarian society. A mask from the movie has become a symbol for Anonymous.

Hackers aligned with the group have succeeded in releasing personal information about former Citigroup and Goldman Sachs executive Robert Rubin, as well as the CEOs of Citigroup, JP Morgan Chase, and Goldman Sachs. They also released information on a New York police officer accused of unprovoked and excessive use of pepper spray on people at the protests, which began September 17 in New York.