

We recently got a chance to speak with Ryan Ackroyd, aka Kayla. Ackroyd was arrested in September of 2011 along with other members of LulzSec. He was released last month after serving 10 of the 30 months in which he was sentenced. Here is what Ryan had to say:

FreeAnons: So you were recently released. Could you tell us when and what are the terms of your release?

Ryan Ackroyd: I was released in February on Home Detention Curfew (HDC) which means that I have to wear an electronic tag and be home for 19:00 every night. I was supposed to be released before Christmas but they “lost my paperwork” and I had to start it allover again…

FA: For those unfamiliar with your case would you like to explain that in your own words?

RA: Back in 2011 I was arrested for my involvement in the attacks orchestrated by Anonymous, Lulz Security (LulzSec) and Operation Anti-Security. I was sentenced in 2013 to 30 months in prison of which I served 10 months. I am currently on TAG and have to abide by the rules of probation until 2015 when the sentence is complete. I have been handed a Serious Crime Prevention Order by the court which prevents me from using encryption which allows hidden volumes, Virtual machines or from deleting my web history. Once I have saved enough money for legal I intend to fight this SCPO in court.

FA: And how do you feel about the way the whole thing transpired?

RA: I knew I was going to get caught but I never thought that I would get stabbed in the back. Sabu didn’t have much information about me, he knew nothing about me personally but he was still able to log our conversations. The media have overplayed Sabu’s snitching role, the most to come from Sabu was a few chat logs, at least in my case. I am not angry at Sabu I am just disappointed, he took it to a whole new level just to save himself and now he has joined the ranks of Lammo etc, I wondered why 2600 gave him a shell account on 2600.

FA: We have seen some pretty harsh sentences handed down in hacking cases being tried under the CFAA. On the other side of things we are seeing warrant-less surveillance out of control with the three letter agencies like the NSA. What are your thoughts on this?

RA: I find it shocking that people do more prison time for sharing a link than people who commit crimes such as rape. The government are afraid of hackers, they know hackers are the types of people they cannot defend their secrets against so they aim to cage us all up while using the same “illegal” tactics as we do.

FA: The recent leaks coming from Edward Snowden document the use of much the same methods hackers use to facilitate a lot of this surveillance. Malware, Viruses, etc. Do you think these agencies should be allowed to employ the same methods they are locking away others for in the name of national security?

RA: Of course not, they should be held to account for breaking the laws they impose but who’s going to do it? Don’t expect any of them going to jail for it thats all I can say.

FA: From an outside perspective, some may believe that Anonymous has slowed down operations quite a bit and that the string of arrests of Anonymous members has forced many into hiding.

What do you think the current state of Anonymous is and where do you see it going in the future?

RA: I couldn’t tell you the current state of Anonymous at this stage, I’m still reading up on nearly 3 years of internet. I seriously doubt that our arrests had any major impact. We were only a few cogs in thew wider machine that drives Anonymous, there are many, many more than just us.

FA: Hector “Sabu” Monsegur is due in court again this coming Friday. (April 4th 2014) We have seen a pattern of delays in his sentencing that would lead many to believe he is still cooperating with the Feds. Do you think we will ever see a day when Sabu is sentenced?

RA: To be honest, he is an outed FBI informant. Prisoners do not like snitches and that is a fact I have seen with my own eyes inside of prison. I doubt Sabu will do any prison time, he’s being rinsed for all the information he has possibly to make it worth the courts dropping all charges against him. Thats probably why it’s taking so long.

FA: Do you believe that he is still out there cooperating and there is a potential for more arrests as a result?

RA:I believe so yes, they will be using him to penetrate all kinds of groups talking people with skills in to hacking a set up box in order to take the “main players” out of the game completely.

FA: Were you able to keep up with the Jeremy Hammond case and what were your thoughts on that?

RA: There wasn’t much news about it on TV here in the UK, here in UK prisson cells you do have a TV and I did hear a few things. I have only recently been able to read more in to it, there’s a lot to read.

FA: Jeremy, in his statement to the courts, spoke of members of Anonymous being used to target foreign government targets. This was later redacted. We know that Jeremy and others were led by Fed handlers to many of these targets and that the Feds supplied them with both vulnerabilities and servers. Do you think this borders on entrapment?

RA: Yes it does, if it can be proven and thats the problem.

FA: So, you are probably playing internet catch-up at the moment I would imagine. Anything you missed out on up until now that you have found particularly interesting?

RA: I am still living in 2011, The internet moves too fast, there is a lot for me to catch up on that is for sure.

FA: Is there anything you would like to say to the people out there?

RA: Keep your cards close to your chest and beware those trying too hard to be your friend.

We are happy to have you home Ryan. Stay frosty!