The Internet hacker group Anonymous is threatening to "destroy" Facebook, the world's most popular social network, on Nov. 5, according to a message posted via a YouTube video.

The video threat (see below), posted July 16, has drawn more than 800,000 views. The hacking group accuses Facebook of spying on users, abusing their privacyand cooperating with "authoritarian governments."

In the video, Anonymous charges that Facebook has helped authorities in Egypt and Syria spy on dissidents. Also, the organization said privacy settings on Facebook are merely a "delusion" to make people feel safe.

"Kill Facebook for the sake of your own privacy," says a scrambled voice on the YouTube video.

Anonymous is a group initiating active civil disobedience through the Internet. The group originated in 2003, but has remained hidden. Actions are undertaken by unidentified individuals for different causes, attributing the Anonymous label to the source of the actions.

Anonymous claimed last weekend it hacked 70 or more law enforcement Web sites in the Southern and Central United States, in retaliation for the arrests of U.S. sympathizers in the U.S. and Britain. Anonymous also claimed to have stolen 10 gigabytes of dates, including emails, credit card details, and other information from local local enforcement bodies from throughout the U.S.

Nov. 5 is Guy Fawkes Day in Britain, the anniversary of the failed 1605 Gunpowder Plot to blow up the king and Parliament. Fawkes has been adopted as a hero by anarchists, and Anonymous has used his face as a symbol.

A Facebook spokeswoman contacted in London said the company had no comment on the threat, according to PC World.

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