FOG Talks: HACKTIVISM(?) AND OTHER CYBER-STUFF.

[Gunneh]

It's that time again, boys and girls! Today's topic shouldn't as much of a hot-button issue, but it's something that I felt could be discussed in great volume by some of the more tech-savvy of FOG, the people who actually give two shits about it or people that just want to learn! Same rules apply:

ANYONE WHO BREAKS THESE RULES OR ANY OF FOG'S PRINCIPLE RULES WILL BE RIDICULED MERCILESSLY BY THEIR PEERS.

Oh, and they'll be "banned" from posting in this thread for a week until they've learned their lesson and can behave themselves well enough to pull their nose out of the corner.

TODAY'S TOPIC:

HACKTIVISM(?) AND CYBER-WARFARE.







Anonymous Loses Patience with Westboro Baptist Chuch.

Hackers Claim Next Attack will Expose Police Emails and Informants

Holy hell, there's a lot of shit to post on this... - Gunneh

So, there's this group, right? They call themselves Anonymous, and they're supposedly hacktivists -

hack·tiv·ist

noun /ˈhaktəˌvist/
hacktivists, plural

A computer hacker whose activity is aimed at promoting a social or political cause.

- but they're a little fuzzy on what they actually want to do. On one hand, from the video above, you can see how they feel about the Church of Scientology extorting money from their followers and, basically, brainwashing them. On the other hand, they're also talking about taking down Facebook, as you can also see from the other above video, because of their privacy policy (or lack thereof). Hacktivism isn't good or bad. In my opinion, it's just really, really dark grey. Still, I know my own opinions don't vouch for everyone else, so I'd really like to see what you guys think.

Oh, and one more thing to discuss: Cyber-warfare. Check out the very first video that I've got posted to hear a little more on what's happened recently in that area.

Discuss!

[Kalon Ordona II]

Anonymous is a little scary to me only because they don't necessarily hold themselves to any standards. They're supposedly doing what they think is right. Well, what if what they think is right, isn't so much? What's to stop anarchy?

Other than that, I almost want to say more power to 'em.
I'm not sure yet exactly what I think, but I do know what I want to see happen.

I hope Anonymous destroys things like companies who exploit the average internet user, corrupt police systems, and other things that oppress society.
BUT
Like the guy in the first video, I don't want to see the U.S. government respond my creating more legislature that can harm the people and not the hackers. If you outlaw something, only the outlaws will have it. What they should do is create legislature that will curb corruption, not legislature that will suppress everyone besides hackers.

Really I think it should be Common Law, and that's it, but unfortunately nobody can hold themselves to that, because everybody's looking to exploit everybody else [/hyperbole]. The problem is, nobody holds themselves accountable anymore. They obey the laws because they get thrown in jail if they don't, or because society will turn against them, not because they feel morally obligated to do the right thing. Because what is the right thing? All this "truth is relative" stuff has been going around for years and years and years, and it destroys morality because there's nothing to back it up except whoever is strongest.

What I hope is that everything turns around. Government can make it harder for anyone--even themselves--to harm the people, and they can send a message to Anonymous addressing their concerns and producing real, tangible results for the good of everyone. And if Anonymous responds with anarchy, then we need more White Hats. Lots, lots more White Hats.

It's like the good book says: "The love of money is the root of all evil." What are the Black Hats doing? Stealing money. What's Facebook supposedly doing? Stealing money. What are corporations doing? Making as much money as they can, by any means necessary. Who suffers? The average citizen. If Anonymous stops some of that but turns around and does it themselves, shame on them. If they make themselves a force for good--one that can hold itself at least to the basic, basic stuff like "don't kill, don't steal, don't enslave," then yeah, I do hope they can make some good changes.

But if some other group comes along, like the guy was saying, and uses those codes for evil. Whew.
White Hats.
Lots, lots, lots of White Hats.

[Lord Revan]

Well I don't know too much about Anonymous or any other hacktivists. However while I agree with everyone's right to protest, and express their beliefs I do know that some of these groups threaten to take down essential computer infrastructure, which will just hurt the common people, or at least hurt them more. This I am not okay with. I don;t mind getting your point across to government, maybe even get them to listen. But, when your "attacks" hurt the average Joe, that isn't acceptable in my eyes. I will just have to wait and see, hopefully they can do some good. We all know the world can use some.

Oh and like Gunneh stated, behave yourself. I will be watching. Have a fun and enjoyable discussion.

[Misery]

Ah, hacktivism.

I think ultimately it reflects the zeitgeist. Ultimately 200 years ago, we would have had people rioting and shooting muskets in the air in protest, or y'know dumping a shiatload of tea into a harbor in order to show our disdain for the way the world is working...

Now we have hacktivists and teabaggers. *facepalm*

Rather than risk ourselves openly and boldly do something that would involve going out, we instead focus our protesting to meaningless online petitions and blog rants and DDoS attacks against companies that maybe annoy their sysadmin for a day or two.

Ultimately, Anonymous is the living experiment of cyber mob mentality. When they focus on a single goal they are immensely powerful, yet at the same time you have to get enough of them to start a movement in that direction, like any mob.

Really, I'd like to see them put a dent in the rich elite class of the world, more power to them if they can take Facebook down a peg, though, given that Anonymous prides itself on having no leader, I'm not expecting anything to happen on the 5th of November. What instead happens is some idiot claiming to be 'the leader of Anonymous' issues some statements, and the media blows it out of proportion while the rest of Anonymous sits back and says 'lolwut?'.

Ultimately, sadly so, our digital rights are being eroded. They were being eroded long before Anonymous was even mentioned in the news, and they will continue to be eroded. The people that control fads, control society want to erode a sense of ownership over things. Don't worry about owning dvds, just rent them from netflix. We'll provide you with easy to download e-books, but in order to work you have to have a device that contacts our servers to make sure it's 'allowed'.

Really, the best I can hope for at this point is that the world goes crazy french revolution style and fraggin decides to drag the richest of the rich out and remind them that bad things happen when you oppress the masses... but sadly these days people are more concerned with what the Kardashian's are wearing today than they are with the fact that people who pirate an mp3 file pay more money in fines than someone who holds up a convenience store.

*sigh*

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