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CTOS ACCESS MONITORED:
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SPOILER ALERT:
This page may include spoilers about the Watch Dogs: Legion plot that you may not have discovered yet. Read at your own risk.
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- â A secret society of hackers, serving our own brand of justice.â
- ―DedSec's slogan in Watch Dogs
DedSec is a secret hacking collective featured in the Watch Dogs series. They have a worldwide presence and millions of followers, with their goal being to expose the corruption in the common world, including large corporations.
Description
DedSec is a notorious hacking collective that operates in cities all around the world. The group itself is opposed to the implementation and use of the CTOS and has the objective of proving that the system is flawed and unnecessary. The group's members hack into various CTOS systems for destructive purposes in order to highlight its weaknesses and vulnerabilities.
It was revealed by Clara (under the identity "BadBoy17") that DedSec has an aggressive side, where they unsuccessfully tried to attack a CTOS center in The Loop, and as a result of that failed attack, Blume added more armed guards to the center. This is given further credibility during the end credits of Watch_Dogs, where a broadcast states they won't tolerate being ignored any longer, and in Watch_Dogs 2, where in one audio log left by another of their members, Horatio Carlin, he states that "if there was a bar ranging from "activist" to "anarchist", [they]'d probably fill the whole damn thing"; additionally, that same audio log implies there are multiple branches of DedSec, as Horatio stated that he ran a few ops with the Council of Daves to see what worked for them and try to adapt it to the members of the Bay Area, before realizing that the Chicago and San Francisco Branches of DedSec couldn't be more different from each other.
One way in which DedSec have voiced their opinion and made their presence known to the public was through their seizure of the CTOS' official website. The website was seized and then subsequently transformed into an ambiguous advertisement page. The page was turned entirely black and covered with a DedSec logo, formed from ASCII characters. Similarly, tagging and graffiti has been sprayed onto a number of CTOS advertisement media and other Chicago signposts.
Audio logs left by one of their members, G1gg1L3s, reveals that the Chicago branch of DedSec's leaders are referred to as the "Council of Daves", or just "the Daves", because they all include the name Dave in their usernames in online communications.
Events of Watch Dogs
DedSec can trace their origins back to Umeni which at one point sent many of their engineers to prison, subsequently, after being released many of them went on to form the group and fight against corporate injustice and corruption.
At some point in the game, they contact Aiden Pearce to target many corrupt Umeni executives to have their revenge and later on contact him again to infiltrate Danny SoSueMe's mansion to recover data stolen from them. They also tip him on a shipment containing a Biometric Assault Rifle and to give him the whereabouts of two high ranking Chicago South Club members for him to dispose of on behalf of the group. However, Aiden is not affiliated with DedSec, though he does have dealings with some of its members.
Following Clara Lille's death, DedSec declares her a martyr and promises a reckoning.
Near the end of the game, they contact Aiden again before he is about to take control of the CTOS satellite to ask for 30 seconds to search through the system and collect all data necessary that could help them in their quest for justice. However, Aiden refused to do so and Dedsec warned that they will not forget this.
It is revealed on one of their broadcasts during the credits that they are tired of people ignoring their warnings, stating their reputation has been damaged and that they had been attacked by other hackers such as Defalt, declaring a digital war upon Blume and the citizens of Chicago.
Despite the fact that Aiden was responsible for releasing the blackmail to the public, DedSec claims credit for this action.
Watch Dogs: Bad Blood
During the "Council of Daves" investigations, it is revealed that one of DedSec's leaders had grown tired of the other Daves wanting more to "stroke their own egos through social media than bring real change" and wished to further militarize DedSec. The rogue Dave lured Dave04 and DaveZB over to the Ambrose Theatre, Defalt's old haunt, and murdered them, then coded a video of Defalt's meeting with the Daves into a QR square on the Pawnee Dam, as a message to the other Daves, to implicate Defalt. He then arranged a meeting with Daveftp, Dave Capisano and Dave_of_Spades at a construction site in Pawnee, then sent Fixers in to ambush them. However, Raymond "T-Bone" Kenney learned of his treachery in time and arrived to protect the Daves from the waves of fixers sent to kill them. The Daves pledged their gratitude to Kenney, who declared that they now owed him a favor. It is unknown what became of the treacherous Dave.
Events of Watch Dogs 2
DedSec in San Francisco.
- â DedSec has given/will give you the truth, do what you will.â
- ―DedSec's slogan in Watch Dogs 2
There are at least one million followers/members of DedSec in San Francisco, California. Their belief is technology should not be used to control people; as a result, they are actively fighting against the San Francisco CTOS, spamming messages about themselves and their cause. Unlike the Chicago chapter, the San Francisco DedSec lacks a militaristic side and focuses more on nonlethal pranks and muckraking-in particularly, advertising their app, which allows their fans to lend their computers' processing power to their operations. The protagonist, Marcus Holloway, is a member of DedSec. One of the goals in the game is to get more people from the area to download their app and join them, so that DedSec can gain more resources and processing power for bigger hacks; such can be done by doing certain missions to get the follower count up.
DedSec Hideouts
In Watch Dogs 2, DedSec has many hideouts, called hackerspaces, which include their main base in the basement of Gary's Games and Glory, and a seemingly abandoned garage.
Events of Watch Dogs: Legion
- â We shall never surrender.â
- ―DedSec
Albion is ordered by the government to hunt down and execute DedSec members.
Up until Operation Westminster, DedSec operated away from the public eye, as they had always done in the past. However, the general society turned against DedSec when Zero Day, a zealous neo-luddite hacker cell which splintered off from London's Branch of DedSec, set off bombs across London, killing thousands, and DedSec was framed for the attacks. Following this, DedSec was declared a terrorist organization and the British government contracted Albion, a private military firm, to track down and kill DedSec members. Meanwhile, DedSec is attempting to clear their name while seeking justice for ordinary people, by fighting the various factions trying to rise to power in London, including Albion and Clan Kelley.
Audio Logs
Eight Audio Logs can be found in Watch Dogs which reveal a bit more about DedSec's past. They can be obtained through the QR Codes investigations.
Watch Dogs
Audio Log #1
- "Do you ever find yourself staring out the window wondering why 2.7 million people scurry from point A to point B, never even realizing that there is a point C? People no longer seek information because they're filled to capacity. Overloaded. Take a look around out there. Look at all the billboards and monitors. How much Blume do you see? Do you think there will be more or less when the next CTOS goes live? Keep looking for point C and we'll keep talking."
Audio Log #2
- "Did you vote this year? If the answer is "no," change that answer to "yes," because a vote and a non-vote are exactly the same. Every one of you voted for the same candidate because they all work for the same system. That system has not changed in the past fifty years. Whether you want to wait in a line to stamp "I participated" on a piece of paper or you want to ignore the whole process, the system continues unfazed and uncaring. But it is NOT unstoppable. To do it -- you're going to have to do more than just choose a name. DedSec can help."
Audio Log #3
- "Everything that makes your life easier consists of the same basic materials. The planet will soon run out of these materials. We've already exhausted over half our supply in the last 100 years and production is only increasing. Governments are already waging wars, overt and shadow, to control those final building blocks, but who will end up with the most toys? Who really funds those wars? Who is on the receiving end of every favor owed? The answer is easy. Take your phone out of your pocket and look at the logo."
Audio Log #4
- "We loved your new profile pic. That's a great haircut. Congratulations on the new job. A 25% raise? Fantastic. You deserved that widescreen TV. We just saw your status change, we're so happy you found your soulmate. Your kid is growing up so fast, she walks to school all by herself. That intersection in the picture behind her, we know that place. It's a safe neighborhood. You don't even need to lock your door. Wake up. Stop authoring your own tragedy."
Audio Log #5
- "Why do WE hide behind our masks? Why do they hide behind their masks? Drop their corporate lawyers and government connections and we'll drop our hoods. They point at DedSec, label us the boogeyman while they root through your closet. We're not asking you to be friends. We're asking you to turn on the flashlight. Take a look under the bed. Because monsters are real and you're looking in the wrong place."
Audio Log #6
- "You want to make a statement. You want to be a part of the change. But I don't know how, you say. I am powerless. I am weak. I am afraid. We answer: one person can disrupt an entire system simply by standing still. One person can spread a message to a thousand more simply by choosing to speak. Stand beside others, and you become a wall. Shout along with others, and you become a bullhorn. If we push together, we can topple their towers."
Audio Log #7
- "We can see you. There are currently three different cameras recording you. One of them is recording for the Chicago Police department. One of them feeds directly into Blume through the CTOS. The other one, we're not even sure where it goes. You can try to avoid them, but there are over twenty thousand more in Chicago alone. Your privacy is gone."
Audio Log #8
- "How long would it take to subvert the entire CTOS? To shut down every camera, monitoring system, emergency response, transit, commerce, and communication. How long to cripple this entire "safe" city? It would take us a mere thirty seconds. Now imagine if we were to rise up as civilians, to challenge the powers that be. How long would it take them to shut us down when they control the power switch? Your tax dollars have paid for your own muzzle and cage."
Bad Blood
In Bad Blood, three additional Audio Logs can be found through the Council of Daves investigation. The first and third logs are spoken by a disgruntled member of the Daves, while the second log is spoken by Clara Lille.
DedSec X01
- "DedSec must reboot. It is a shackled army, ready to fight. It is the voice of the people, muzzled by its own leaders. That's right. DedSec has leaders, despite their denial. But they would rather stroke their own egos through social media than bring about social change. So blood must be drawn. Every war begins with a tragedy..."
DedSec X02
- "I've been working with another hacker lately. He knows the game, but his ego is too much. And he likes to keep his identity hidden behind a mask when he's in public. Like he's got to wear the silly costume or he's somehow exposed. He scares me sometimes. His ideas are violent. He angers easily. He's a genius, but he can be like a child. On one hand I think he could help me find the Bunker, but on the other, I fear what he'd do with it. He's ready to meet the Daves, but I don't know if the Daves are ready for Defalt. I don't know if anybody is ready for Defalt."
DedSec X03
- "So it's pretty clear to me now that the other Daves are going to waste the potential of what we've created here. In order to live up to our ideals, our purpose, they've left me one option - I need to remove them. Once we take our proper place ... once we're recognized as the ones who actually made a difference, who stood up against the one-percenter bullshit - people will understand why I had to do this. My brothers die for a cause they seem to have forgotten, but that cause lives on ... and grows stronger."
Functionality
The separate branches of DedSec have often different and varying beliefs and opinions when it comes to how they carry out operations. DedSec Chicago generally does not associate or work with people outside of their own ranks, while the San Francisco and London branches both co-operate with and recruit civilians, criminals and even law enforcement officers. DedSec San Francisco regularly uses firearms and guerilla tactics on their enemies, while the London branch prefers stealth tactics and non lethal force. The Chicago branch has few interactions with anyone in person, and very little if any physical confrontation.
The Chicago branch often tries to hide their existence entirely and only operates in the shadows. Contrarily, the San Francisco branch is very open of their existence, having tens of thousands of followers and frequently using propaganda. The London branch rarely uses propaganda, usually only to further their cause. The Chicago branch has close to no interactions with organized criminals or street gangs (though they do enlist others, such as Aiden to kill high ranking gangsters). Meanwhile the San Francisco and London branches sabotage gang operations, and the gang's members.
Gallery
Trivia
- Part of the seized Chicago CTOS site bears the words "Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?" (Who will watch the watchmen?), clearly outlining that they question who controls the CTOS.
- DedSec views Raymond Kenney as a hero and hacking legend, and are interested in finding the Bunker as was made evident when Clara says the facility could be of use to the hacktivist collective.
- This is also clearly seen in Watch_Dogs 2, where Marcus knew who he was right from the get-go (and even admitted to using some stuff made by Kenney) and (once Marcus tells the rest of his crew) where Josh nervously asks for a hug and asks if "[they] can keep him, like a hacker-in-residence."; however, despite this admiration, Sitara strangly displays some degree of animosity towards him, as she claims to "know about [him] and his "collateral damage".", thus hinting at the possibility that not all of DedSec's members admire him.
- Defalt wanted to be a member of DedSec's council but was rejected because they wished to remain anonymous and he was more tolerant of attention, it may be this event that cemented Defalt's hate towards DedSec and made him a black hat hacker. He then created his own hacks such as changing the profiling system.
- DedSec likely means "dead security", referring to CTOS.
- DEDSEC is a permutation of the It term SECDED (single-error correcting and double-error detecting), which is an error detecting and correcting protocol used in a computer systems memory.
- In Watch_Dogs 2, DedSec's theme song is "Ode to Joy" by Ludwig van Beethoven. It plays during certain missions and when Marcus uploads a virus onto certain computers from surveillance cameras, but is not featured on any of the radio stations.
- When they contact Aiden and attempt to convince him to plant a secret virus in one of the satellites that controls CTOS, they say that they will be the "watch dogs" of the city.
- The hacking collective can be likened to Anonymous, and also to LulzSec, in the way that they operate.
- In Watch_Dogs, if Aiden listens in on certain nearby conversations, occassionally a person will talk about how the authorities need to "crack down on DedSec", showing that while the authorities don't take DedSec seriously, the rest of the public does.