Hacktivists and Cyberattacks

Link:

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/hacktivists-launch-cyberattacks-local-state-governments

Assessment of the Source:

PBS NewsHour, anchored by Judy Woodruff and co-anchored by Gwen Ifill, is a news program broadcasted on PBS (Public Broadcasting Service). NewsHour is currently funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, “Friends of the NewsHour”, and its very own Public Broadcasting Service. They are also sponsored by the corporations Babbel and BNSF Railway. PBS NewsHour airs every night. Being America’s first hour-long nightly news program, PBS NewsHour is known for in-depth coverage of current events.

Summary of the Article:

The writer of this article, Jenni Bergal, begins by defining hacktivism and explaining why it exists. Bergal also quotes those interviewed for the article about their opinion on the subject. Bergal has references on both sides of the matter. There are some who see hacktivism as another form of protest while others view it as “disruptive”. Bergal ends the article by stating that hacktivism will continue to exist as long as there are events that cause activists to speak up.

Analysis:

Upon closer inspection, the article seems to talk more about hacktivists as “vigilantes” than being activists protesting for a cause. Additionally, although there is some mention of “good cause”, the diction used when talking about hacktivists as these cyber vigilantes is stronger. For example, the act of hacktivism to many is considered “criminal trespassing” because hacktivists hack into different websites and databases causing them to shut down to deliver their own message to the public. However, there are some who do consider themselves as these vigilantes. Anonymous is one such group who admits they are a “vigilante cyber group” on their own website. There are more portrayals of hacktivists being “disruptive” by “attacking” government websites. Overall, this article seems somewhat bias towards hacktivists and hacktivism being something that should be looked down upon.

Opinion:

I will say I agree with parts of his article. I see protesting and speaking out with a voice a good thing. I believe the ability to do so is always a good thing, as long as it is justified. As such, we currently live in a world where there are ample ways to get your thoughts and opinions heard and shared with other people. Social media is one of those ways. What I must disagree with is how hacktivists decide to approach it. A website or database can be considered property, so hacking it would be the wrong thing to do. The way I see it, hacking to shut down other’s websites solely because one disagrees with their views is simply arrogant. I understand that maybe those views are questionable, but hacktivists are infiltrating and destroying property belonging to others. In fact, why should one hack when there are just so many ways now to get your opinion out there? As mentioned before, social media is a big thing today. Anything posted is bound to be seen by others who have the ability to spread one’s opinion all over the world. It’s a better approach than hacking into government servers and causing problems for other people.