Case Project $1-2$: Researching Hacktivists at Work

Time Required: $45$ minutes

Objective: Consider the legal and ethical concerns surrounding hacktivism.

Description: A $2021$ U$.$S$.$ News & World Report article discusses how a new wave of hacktivism is adding a twist to cybersecurity woes. At a time when U$.$S agencies and companies are fighting off hacking campaigns originating in Russia and China, activist hackers looking to make a political point are reemerging.

The government's response shows that officials regard the return of hacktivism with alarm. An acting U$.$S$.$ Attorney was quoted as saying, "Wrapping oneself in an allegedly altruistic motive does not remove the criminal stench from such intrusion, theft, and fraud."

A counterintelligence strategy released in $2020$ stated, "ideologically motivated entities such as hacktivists, leaktivists, and public disclosure organizations, are now viewed as 'significant threats', alongside five countries, three terrorist groups, and transnational criminal organizations."

Previous waves of hacktivism, notably by the collective known as Anonymous in the early $2010$s$,$ have largely faded away due to law enforcement pressure. Now a new generation of youthful hackers, angry about how the cybersecurity world operates and upset about the role of tech companies in spreading propaganda, is joining the fray.

Research hacktivism, and write a one$-$page paper that answers the following questions:

Is hacktivism an effective political tool?

Did any of the hacktivists you researched go too far?

Can hacktivism ever be justified?