Hacktivism

Hacktivism (a mix of "hacking" and "activism") is when people use computer skills, like hacking, to support political or social causes. It's a type of online protest that comes from hacker culture and is often connected to causes like free speech, human rights, or open access to information.

Hacktivism can involve many different political beliefs. One example is Hyphanet, a program that lets people talk online without censorship. Hacktivism can be done by a single person or by groups like Anonymous or WikiLeaks, who work together without a leader to reach shared goals. For example, the U.S. Justice Department said Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, worked with hackers from groups like Anonymous and LulzSec to target organizations. In 2012, while in the U.K. facing possible extradition to the U.S., Assange gave LulzSec's leader a list of hacking targets, suggesting the biggest leaks would come from the NSA, CIA, or New York Times.

The word “hacktivism” can mean different things to different people. It was first used to describe using coding and critical thinking to bring about change. But since hacking can sometimes be illegal or harmful, hacktivism can also refer to damaging or dangerous actions that threaten the safety of the internet.

Compared to older kinds of activism, hacktivism has reached more people, used more tools, and had more impact. It can influence elections, start conflicts, or even shut down companies.

According to the U.S. government’s 2020–2022 Counterintelligence Strategy, hacktivists—along with hackers, leakers, and whistleblower groups—can be serious threats, just like foreign enemies or criminal organizations.