In a statement , Anonymous representatives listed some of it had conducted in support of WikiLeaks and Assange, as well as the sites it has hacked to provide secret documents to the whistleblower. Anonymous claimed 14 members are either in prison or facing charges in the attacks.

"We have been worried about the direction Wikileaks is going for sometime now," the statement said. "In the past year, the focus has moved away from actual leaks and the fight for freedom of information and concentrated more and more on Julian Assange and a rabid scrounging for money."

The group went on to say that it would no longer support its onetime ally. "Anonymous turns it's back on WikiLeaks," said the statement, released Thursday. "WikiLeaks has with its actions this past 48 hours betrayed Anonymous, and thus has lost its biggest and most powerful supporter."

in CSOonline's Data Privacy section.