Senate Bill 13 targets Anonymous and its Guy Fawkes masks, according to members of Anonymous, a hacker collective.
The bill by Sen. Don Barrington, R-Lawton bans the use of masks and other facial coverings in public places.
Thus, two Anonymous members were stopped from putting on the group’s signature masks in the Oklahoma City on Monday.
“They told us there was a new rule or something,” said a man who identified himself only as Michael. But they failed to explain anything beyond that, he added.
SB 13 seems to go beyond the primary objective of containing the hooded sweatshirts.
“This has been called the ‘Hoodie Bill,’ but it goes much further,” said Joanna Francisco, the Anonymous representative at a press conference organized by the Libertarian Party of Oklahoma.
“Concealing identity while carrying out a crime is already against the law. We have a right to our anonymity,” she added.
Anonymous is known for advocating individual privacy and liberty. The Guys Fawkes mask, depicting stylized moustache and goatee with a frozen smile, represents the leader of a failed plot to blow up the English House of Lords in 1605. The plot was thwarted by an anonymous letter to authorities.
