Hacktivism

DefinitionWhatdoesHacktivismmean?
Hacktivism is the act of hacking a website or computer network in an effort to convey a social or political
message. The person who carries out the act of hacktivism is known as a hacktivist.
In contrast to a malicious hacker who hacks a computer with the intent to steal private information or
cause other harm, hacktivists engage in similar forms of disruptive activities to highlight political or
social causes. For the hacktivist, hacktivism is an Internet-enabled strategy to exercise civil
disobedience. Acts of hacktivism may include website defacement, denial-of-service attacks (DoS),
redirects, website parodies, information theft, virtual sabotage and virtual sit-ins.

TechopediaexplainsHacktivism
Hacktivism and hacktivists are motivated by an active desire to cripple government control and
censorship of electronic and Web technologies and content. As such, hacktivism may be employed by
those opposing rigorous copyright regulations or fervently interested in circumventing restricted
electronic data.
A key hacktivism tool fueled by the Internet is techno-politics, where hacktivists voice public opinions
and stances regarding repressive legislation hindering open access to computer software and websites.
Hacktivists educate the public on perceived regulatory injustices and encourage response. Hacktivists
continuously initiate and engage in court battles challenging freedom of Internet speech and other
digital media restrictions.
Hacktivism addresses a variety of acts that are active and passive - as well as violent and non-violent and may be falsely interpreted as cyberterrorism. Hacktivism was originally coined to explain how
electronic direct action elicits social change through blended programming expertise and critical
thinking. Despite this, many perceive hacktivism as an attempt to fulfill undesirable political motives.