Anonymous Rickrolled a Canadian Gold Mining Company

Canadian gold mining is a dirty business, at home and abroad, where the industry currently faces myriad accusations of environmental and criminal wrongdoing.

On Sunday, hackers claiming affiliation with the hacktivist group Anonymous fought back against the massive industry the best way it knows how: by defacing the homepage of Canadian gold mining company BCGold Corp.—with a YouTube video of Rick Astley troll anthem "Never Gonna Give You Up." At the time of writing, the company's main website is down for "routine maintenance."

#Anonymous Hacks Mining Company Website to Protest Canada Shielding Corporations https://t.co/VvP1woikCW #OpCanary pic.twitter.com/yjWEInUgqQ
— Anonymous Operations (@AnonOpsSE) March 28, 2016

Numerous outlets for members of Anonymous—who, remember, could literally be anyone—reported on Twitter that the defacement came courtesy of #OpCanary, an Anonymous offshoot that takes aim at Canadian gold mining companies. The Twitter account for #OpCanary itself has not taken credit for the mischief.

"For years, we have watched Canadian impunity against human rights and environmental abuses worldwide," an #OpCanary statement from last year reads. "We have watched villagers murdered and terrorized globally with no recourse or accountability."

Canadian gold mining practices have come under fire recently for a string of reported abuses abroad, which include rapes by Barrick Gold Company guards in Papua New Guinea. BCGold Corp, for its part, only operates in Canada and owns properties in British Columbia and the Yukon. The company didn't respond to our repeated requests for comment.

Obviously, a good old fashioned rickrolling is hardly the most direct or potent means of protesting a serious issue, but at least it's kind of funny—and certainly embarrassing for BCGold Corp.