He hacktivism has emerged as a powerful form of activism in the digital age. Groups and people committed to justice and transparency They have used their computer science skills to highlight problems and test all types of institutions.
To contextualize, the hacktivism is the union of two terms: “hacking” and “activism”. This practice is often based on the idea that information and online access should be free and that technology can be a powerful tool for protest and resistance.
On the one hand, they argue that they are fighting for justice and transparency by exposing corruption and abuses of power. On the other hand, the defenders of hacktivism They argue that their actions are necessary in a world where the voices of the population are repressed and information is monopolized by those in power to confuse and use it to their advantage.
That is why, It is time to do a brief review of the five major cases of hactivism in the history I’m sure they haven’t left anyone indifferent.
- Anonymous and Operation Chanology
- WikiLeaks and “Cablegate”
- Edward Snowden and the revelation of NSA surveillance
- Stuxnet and cyberwar between nations
- Aaron Swartz and the fight for the release of academic information
Anonymous and Operation Chanology
Anonymous, a group of hacktivists unknown, they rose to fame in the late 2000s. One of their most important movements was “Operation Chanology.”
This attack focused on the Church of Scientology, a rather controversial organization that had faced numerous criticisms. The group accused the Church of online censorship and copyright abuse to suppress important information on the Internet.
He hacktivism of Anonymous consisted of DDoS attacks, internal document disclosures, and online information campaigns. Their objective was clear: fight for freedom of information and expression online.
Operation Chanology not only raised awareness about the actions of the Church of Scientology, but also opened the doors to debate about the limits of hacktivism: Heroes or cybercriminals?
WikiLeaks and ‘Cablegate’
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WikiLeaks, founded by Julian Assange, became famous for its focus on government transparency and the disclosure of confidential information. One of WikiLeaks’ most famous moments was the massive 2010 leak, known as “Cablegate,” which revealed thousands of documents exposing secret conversations between diplomats and governments around the world.
For example, he exposed how the NSA had access to data from large technology companies such as Google, Microsoft, Apple and Facebook, or that he had been spying on foreign leaders, including US allies.
The objective of WikiLeaks was to expose the lack of transparency and decision-making behind society’s backs and, as you can see, it managed to uncover very relevant issues. He is currently in pretrial detention in a maximum security prison in Belmarsh, United Kingdom.
Edward Snowden and the revelation of NSA surveillance
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Edward Snowden, a former employee of the United States National Security Agency (NSA), became quite a hactivist when he leaked classified documents in 2013.
The Snowden leaks exposed government surveillance carried out by the NSA, including collecting data from mass communications and monitoring citizens without their knowledge.
Snowden explained at the time that his goal was to protect citizens’ privacy and raise awareness about the extent of government surveillance. Although He has faced persecution and lived in exile—he now resides in Russia—his actions had an enormous impact worldwide.
Stuxnet and cyberwar between nations
The Stuxnet case represents a darker side of the hacktivism: cyber war between countries. In 2010, a next-level computer virus was discovered that targeted Iran’s nuclear facilities. Stuxnet is believed to have been developed by US and Israeli intelligence agencies to damage the Iranian nuclear program.
This virus spread through USB devices and, once inside a facility’s network, it infiltrated systems. It took advantage of several zero-day vulnerabilities, meaning it exploited security flaws that had not yet been discovered or fixed.
Although it is a highly secret operation, with little information about it, Stuxnet highlighted the power of the hacktivism backed by countries and the potential to damage critical infrastructure.
Aaron Swartz and the fight for the release of academic information
Aaron Swartz, a great programmer and activist, became an advocate for free and open academic information. He founded the Demand Progress organization and was involved in the creation of RSS, a widely used web distribution format.
One of the most important moments in Swartz’s life was their attempt to release millions of academic articles restricted behind paywalls on JSTOR. He downloaded a large number of academic documents with the intention of making them freely accessible to everyone.
Tragically, Aaron Swartz took his own life in 2013, which only highlighted his presence in society.
As you see, the hacktivism has been—and continues to be—a powerful force in the fight for justice and transparency today. However, the debate surrounding the ethics and legality of their actions remains an easily debatable topic.
