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On Hacktivism
z84976 writes "Oxblood Ruffin, of cDc fame, has produced a nice article discussing various aspects of hactivism and some of the approaches used by their own Hacktivismo group in supporting freedom (of thought, mainly) on the internet. Check it out over at The Register when you get a chance."
You know, the antics of the music industry (and the kind of thing that MS is kowtowing to with their DRM scheme) really pisses me off, but also convinces me that there will eventually come something to replace them both. But, know what? It's their property. If they want to fuck up their distribution channels, fuck em. I can do without "so-called" modern music anyway. I go see live bands locally, get lit, and have a great time and I didn't need to buy a fucking copy-protected by the DMCA CD or cassette or anything. These guys are out there trying to make a living, maybe you should check em out. And if you catch them after the show, you might can convince them that they should distribute their songs on CD's for cheap and ask them (ask them) about how they feel about MP3's and music-sharing in general. Of course, they might not agree with you (or myself), but they have that *right* to do so. So, I encourage, nay I *challenge* each and every one of you who would boycott MS or the RIAA to pick up a local newspaper and see what's going on in y our town this weekend. Chances are, there's a band or two actually worth checking out, and hey, it's not like you're going to meet chicks sitting behind your monitor. Oh, and on-topic: Rock on Beale! I'm encouraged to see that grassroots hactivism coming alive! :) (hacker used in "coder" definition) Keep up the good work and keep fighting the good fight.
The article quotes McLuhan: "World War Three will be a guerilla information war with no division between military and civilian participation."
I firmly believe that this is true, and is going on right now. But I wonder if it is appropriate to mix this concept with hacktivism. Consider Bush's current position. He's convinced most of the world (most of the US, anyway) that he should be given free reign to wage war anywhere in the country, all in the name of fighting terrorism. I'll keep theories about military-industrial complex profits to myself, at this point.
The point is, he is using major media outlets to spread his message, and in the mainstream media, very few people are questioning him. And at the moment, it is the mainstream media that carries the perception that it reflects the national consciousness.
Not enough people have switched off their TVs and let their corporate newspaper subscriptions expire to make hacktivism effective. It's unfortunate, and I expect (hope) things will change in the coming years, but for now, it's largely irrevelevant.
To quote cDc at DefCon a couple of years ago.
Personally I think 'hacktivism' is a grossly overused excuse for vandalism. Hacking sites as a 'service' to the operators is passe... now the kiddies have to act like they've got some sort of noble political agenda.
It's the same thing.
Bad interpretation.. should be Thou Shalt Not Murder. If we all spoke Hebrew, we would understand this.
The media is a mouthpiece of corporate America, and therefore corporate America has been able to HIJACK the government largley through obfuscation of the facts and manufacturing consent.
Turn of the TV. Go for a hike. Smoke a joint. Hang out nude with a good friend at some hot springs. Then think about what a good life might be and see if TV is a part of it. If it's not, turn it off and throw it away.
Anonymouse, but not cowardly.
Shit slimeball scum companies like Gator are already spying on me.
Ok I'll bite.
Lookup news on MacDonalds, GM crops, and hormone-injected beef in France.
Also lookup the US trade-barrier-attacks on French roquefort and fois-gras.
Maybe MacDoSerfs in america don't care about the shit they eat (yes, that claim can be proven) but if "You are what you eat" then yes, Europeans do care about the recipe used at their restaurants.
You just included Singapore and China in the same bandwagon. I guess folks in America could afford to think a little bit more outside the obsession towards free speech. Singapore doesn't block websites that criticizes its own government. In plain simple words it blocks porn. What have we done so far to make the internet a safe environment for kids? Is there any onus on the pr0n site owners? You can easily get away with running a free porn post site which can be (potentially) visited by any age group.
When it comes to free speech, everybody is up for hactivism or activism. When it comes to responsibility......
Let's hear it for responsibility. Like the responsibility of a parent to keep his or her rugrat away from things they deem harmful.
It's not my responsibility to keep anyone else's child away from things they don't like. If you want to shelter your kids from reality as a method of preparing them for it, you're welcome to do so, but not on my dime.
--blob
media is a wonderful one sided thing. The CDC has learned to manipulate just as any other politician. 4 years ago, they jumped into this game after another group basically flipped off the chinese government, first with a web defacement, and second with major server breaches throughout their government, medical and educational realms. The Chinese complained. Nothing could be done. The CDC recognized this, that since another group could get away with this, so could they. They jumped into the foray. Not saying that their contributions aren't valid, they are, but they defintely play it for all its worth. Their P2P software is a good idea, but infantile compared to some of the projects that are in the works. There is a private, encrypted internet being developed right now, complete with all the services needed for it to function. Access is allowed only thorough a friend basis. Pay it forward. The real hackers of the net will have their information through the private internet, the DMCA will be powerless, the worlds governing bodies will be powerless without a gross violation of civil rights. Finally, China and other countries will be able to have their nations elite take ideas and share them with their populace. It is the duty of everyone that possess such knowledge to share it with the rest. This is not just about human rights, this IS cyberwarfare. Think resistence. Things may not change for these people, but they will no longer be blinded to the truth. So, next time you credit the CDC with starting this little revolution, dig through some old news articles and
look to see who actually fired the first shots in this war.
If a computer were programmed to find patterns in the data and derive a message, it could come out with something from seemlingly random data, given sufficient time.
Maybe someday anyone who sends messages will be subject to prosecution because the powers-that-be will always be able to find an incriminating message in every transmission. Even plaintext could contain hidden messages.
Yeah, I know. It was meant to be funny.
Responsibility? Well I'd guess you'd have to assume that porn in general is just plain bad for children. Just seeing naked people getting busy is going to mess them up right? Well not everyone agrees. So don't try to claim the moral high ground or assume we're all up there with you if you do.
Mac OS X and Windows XP working side by side to fight back the night.
refusing to obey government censorship (in places like China) by hacking through their censors is, in my mind, is a very noble thing.
To be consistent with Thoreau's ideas on civil disobedience, the hacker would be have to announce his actions to the authorities and be prepared to go to jail.
As political tactics, Thoreau's ideas may not be so effective in China. Considering the treatment of the Falun Gong and other religious groups, appeals to the conscience of the Chinese authorities are likely to be in vain. They don't have any.
After Tianamen Square no one needs to lecture the Chinese on civil disobedience or the consequences thereof.