Cyberterrorism and Hacking activism
Having read ‘Hacker, Hoaxer, Whistleblower, Spy: The Many Faces of Anonymous’ (2014), Gabriella Coleman researches the infamous internet hacking culture. Close your eyes and think of the word hacker, what comes to mind? Due to popular culture and the media, we often picture the stereotype of a lone male wearing a hooded jacket situated in a basement causing virtual havoc.
Coleman focuses specifically on the notorious hacker group Anonymous which emerged in 2003 on the image-based bulletin site, 4chan.
4chan is regarded as the Internets “own boogyman” by The Washington Post and the “Cesspool of the internet” by Coleman.
At the beginning, Anonymous used harassment, inappropriate imagery and bullying as a tactic for simply amusing themselves on 4chan. Nevertheless, since then they have been engaging in uncovering dangerous organisations and using their hacking as a tool for activism. The unidentified group are now renowned for breaking into the technological landscape illegally for social or political purposes. Otherwise known as hacking activism.
One frequently executed action done by hacktivist’s is the attack of doxxing. Doxxing is a threat to a person’s online privacy and often entails releasing personal data/information to allow anyone to contact them. Due to this release of personal data an individual can be severely harassed and be subjected to extreme public shaming. Doxxing is a negatively driven act which lingers between unlawful threatening and justified justice.
Could hacktivist’s be the new dangerously advanced form of a keyboard warrior?
Anonymous use their civil disobedience for fighting social change. Is this ethically-unethical method justified yet dangerous?
Earlier this year Anonymous had supposedly returned after the events following George Floyd’s death. George Floyd tragically died in the hands of a Minneapolis police officer who kneeled on his neck after handcuffing him and pinning him down. The video footage of the incident went viral on social media sites and caused community outrage. Anonymous fought back with an act which made the Minneapolis police department website go offline. According to the BBC (2020) one of the pages on the minor United Nations agency website displayed a memorial for Floyd with a logo representing anonymous directly above, as shown below.
So, what is the difference between hacking activism and cyberterrorism?
Denning (2000) defines cyberterrorism as a politically motivated hacking operation which results in serious harm or severe economic damage (to both individuals or organisations). Cyberterrorism (in similar fashion to hactivism) is done to further the goals of political and social change, however is often more extreme. Cyberterrorism essentially is a more severe and damaging form of hacktivism which could result in something as serious as loss of life. Both acts are illegal but one is argued to hold some form of legitimacy.
As shown, the difference between hacktivism and cyberterrorism walks a fine line. Both acts are designed as illegal weapons but only one can be argued as a justified immoral action. Hacktivism appears a more valid and justified process of unethical civil disobedience compared to cyberterrorism. Coleman (2014) sees hacktivism as a tool of internet freedom after immersing herself into their digital world.
Regardless, the legality and morality of hacktivism culture is widely debated. On one hand their work has led to exploiting weaknesses in security systems and can be regarded as a form of social and political protest. Whereas, on the other hand it can be considered unethical, dangerous and morally complicated due to its unlawful nature.
References:
- Beran, D. (2020, August 11). The Return of Anonymous. The Atlantic, p. 1. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2020/08/hacker-group-anonymous-returns/615058/
- Denning, D. E. (2000). Activism, hacktivism, and cyberterrorism: the Internet as a tool for influencing foreign policy. Computer Security Journal, 16(3), 15–35.
- Dewey, C. (2014). Absolutely everything you need to know to understand 4chan, the Internet’s own bogeyman. Retrieved December 28, 2020, from The Washington Post website: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2014/09/25/absolutely-everything-you-need-to-know-to-understand-4chan-the-internets-own-bogeyman/
- Gabriella Coleman. (2014). Hacker, Hoaxer, Whistleblower, Spy : The Many Faces of Anonymous. ProQuest Ebook Central.
- Molloy, D., & Tidy, J. (2020, June). George Floyd: Anonymous hackers re-emerge amid US unrest. BBC NEWS, p. 1. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-52879000
