The word “hacker” is associated with “vigilante
justice,” “crime,” and “government.” This week in class, we discussed different types of hacking, along with the ethical ramifications of these activities.
According to Webster’s Dictionary,
hacking is defined as secretly gaining access to a computer system in order to
obtain information and cause damage. The most famous group of hackers is
Anonymous, whom we were introduced to in the readings, “We are Anonymous”
chapters 1 and 7, and in our class videos. The readings discussed members of
the group’s role in bringing down a security company that that had baited them
(and subsequently, the arrest of several members when they were informed upon).
The first video highlighted their mission to make information free, as with
knowledge comes control. The second video addressed the public’s perception of
hackers, as being basement dwellers and nerds.
Anonymous functions as a collection
of individuals who remain nameless and unidentified. They are also referred to
as “hacktivists,” or “hackers with an activist message.”
(Parmy 7) The group does not have a hierarchy,
which is a security measure. Anonymous believes that all information should be
free, as knowledge equates to power and control. (Ibid 7)They state that they
do no forgive, or forget. They also function with a mob mentality,
accomplishing things together that no one person could.
There was also discussion regarding other forms of
hacking. The case of the San Bernardino shooting involves the government asking
Apple to write a “back-door” into their software in order to allow the FBI to
view the contents of the phone. Though the government states that it is for the
one iPhone only, once the software exists it’ll apply to any case, anywhere.
Some hacking does not require advanced
technological skill. Social engineering occurs in great frequency and is very
effective; people may call and convince others to surrender forms of their
identity, such as a social security numbers. Social engineering also requires
charisma, dispelling the belief that all hackers are socially awkward. DDOS,
Distributed Denial of Services, is another form of hacking, and involves people
flooding a server in order to slow it or crash it.
We also discussed the ethics involved with
hacking. The group Anonymous has released information to the public regarding
government scandals, such as the water crisis in Flint. They have also proved
the most effective in removing Twitter accounts from ISIS. However, what the group
does regarding government sites is illegal, and when threatened, they may retaliate
in a way that causes collateral damage (i.e. releasing credit card numbers.) In
the San Bernardino case, the backdoor the government is asking for highlights
the issue of security vs. privacy. When asked who the “good guys” were, the
class concluded that with hacking, it is a grey issue. Who is on the side of “good”
is a matter of perception.
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Well, because Anonymous is such an unstructured group, I wouldn't even call it a group, merely a name. They don't all share the same beliefs or even act together. This also brings the question, are there good and bad people, or just good and bad actions and intentions? We've seen both good and bad intentions from anonymous, we don't know if many of these things have been done by the same people. There's not just diversity of ideology and morality(or lack thereof) in Anonymous, there is diversity of it within individuals as well.
ReplyDeleteExcellent comment here - so what is Anonymous then? An idea? A movement? Something else entirely?
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