This documentary explores the rise of anonymous & the spread of hacktivist movements. Take a look and let us know what you think (FYI: it contains some strong language, so maybe don't turn it on if you've got kids in the room).
Is a DDos attack a legitimate form of resistance?
What about malevolent software? Is that ok?
The first politically motivated computer worm was the WANK worm.
It caused massive problems for NASA. It was a protest against nuclear
power modules in rockets.You can read about the impacts from NASA's
perspective in the first chapter of this book if you're interested.
Does the legitimacy of a method of protest, like the worm or a DDOS attack, depend on what you're protesting and what you are disrupting?
Are the forms of protest outlined in the reading, lecture & doco effective?
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| Does this even work? |
Why/Why not?
How can/have the interwebs support(ed) & inform(ed) protest on the ground?
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| What about this? |
Leave a comment, let us know what you think.
Hi Everyone,
ReplyDeleteI am a little excited about the inversion of power here. If Anonymous uses it's hacking skills to forward the interest of the masses and to protest against a corrupt puppet government ruled by corporate money (the US), or to stop the crushing of free speech (as they did in Egypt and are attempting in Syria) or to bring to justice rapists then I'm all for it. I do wonder about some of the darker stuff like trolling and posting personal addresses though (were they just teething problems or will that continue?) and so am eagerly waiting to see where this goes - but I guess these are the new rocks being thrown. It's exciting times!
In terms of the darker stuff, I often think this is an inherent side effect of this kind of collective. It has a lot to do with anons origins on 4chan, it functions to guard against arrogance & reflects the "trickster" undercurrents of hacker culture (in particular moral ambiguity).
ReplyDeletefascinating stuff the whole genesis of Anonymous, I enjoyed watching the video, and this week's reading was the most enjoyable one for me so far. I found the concept of the 4chan website very interesting, and can relate to how images are becoming more widely used as means of communication in the digital world.
ReplyDeleteIt does seem like they will fight any fight and perhaps they're not always necessarily taking a stance for the greater good. In fact from where they first began, it seems like the good they have done has been a by-product of their intended outcome of stirring the pot. It's fascinating to see how simple it can be to turn the balance of power just with the presence of numbers.
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