Hacktivist

Hacktivism (from “hack” and “activism”) is a form of activist activity that relies on computers, technology, and the Internet to promote political and social change. Hacktivist groups, such as Anonymous, have become increasingly important in the 21st century in spreading their message and organizing protests. Hacktivism is considered a form of digital protest or direct action as opposed to other, more traditional forms of protest such as protests on the street or writing letters to legislators.

Hacktivists often employ varying techniques such as coding, website defacement, distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, ransomware, and social media campaigns. While some of these methods can be destructive, hacktivism is often used to draw attention to an issue and to spark discussions about it. By bringing attention to a cause, hacktivists are hoping to create meaningful conversations and potentially prompt decisive action.

Hacktivism is a controversial form of activism, however, and not all hacktivist groups have the same goals. Some hacktivist organizations use their skills and power to target oppressive governmental and corporate institutions, while other hacktivist groups are looking to spark chaos or commit cybercrimes for their own gain. Additionally, hacktivism is quickly becoming less and less anonymous as government agencies are devising new methods to track and identify hacktivists. Nevertheless, hacktivism remains a popular tool used to draw attention to important causes and to bring about meaningful change.