Concept in Definition ABC

For most people, the term hacker (technology expert, with special incidence on the Informatic security) has a connotation exclusively technical. But the truth is that, in addition to this obvious facet, the hacking it also has behind it a whole philosophical or ideological facet (as we prefer) that ultimately advocates instance for freedom of information and transparency, and which gives rise to the activists of this ideology, the hacktivists.

The hacktivism is the ideology or philosophy that sustains the practice of hacking, and that we can understand as a social extension of the desire for freedom of information and knowledge of the practice of hacking.

Ultimately, what the hacktivism is that people, as citizens, are more and better informed, in a transparent way. For this reason, he advocates both the elimination of secrets and the publication of everything, and -although it seems contradictory- the use of tools of anonymization to preserve individual freedoms against electronic espionage to which governments subject public networks from

The hacktivism It has been expressed over time in various ways, the most primitive of which we can consider to have been born with the beginnings of expansion computing, mainly in the United States, and that were founded on the boards and meetings of clubs of computer fans, crystallizing in a series of ideas that gave way to the first hackers.

More modernly, we can understand as phenomena that are part of the hacktivism Wikileaks (freedom of information, no secrets) and Anonymous (collective hacktivist of global scope that has carried out different actions).

Both initiatives (in addition to others) are carried out by people with great technical knowledge (Julian Assange, one of the co-founders of Wikileaks, was hacker in his youth, haunted by the law for illegally accessing military computer systems), but which are based on ethical and moral principles.

Normally, these activities can be classified as more “subversive”, in relation to the established order and government entities.

If we think about it a bit, it makes perfect sense: while governments hide information to gain power (at the expense of other states and their own citizens), the hacktivism seeks to empower people and bring secrets to light. The crash is inevitable.

But hacktivism It is not only demonstrated in the form of actions more of a political nature, but it also has more social extensions such as the hacklabs.

These hacklabs are spaces open to the community, in which you can learn about new technologies and experiment with them.

Generally, they are self-managed by volunteers, who run the space and welcome those who come, organizing courses and activities, most of them free, but also some paid activities to support the basic needs of the own self hacklab.

Those ideologically opposed to hacktivism have tried to identify this ideology with ideas of the extreme left (especially in the countries in those who are worst viewed, such as the United States) and, in some cases, with the extreme right.

In the case of governments, as in the framework of the confrontation between the United States and Wikileaks, what the authorities have sought is the criminalization of the activities of the hacktivists, something that they have defended claiming that their actions follow ideological and humanitarian motives.

Photos: Fotolia - LuckyStep / Andrey Popov