Hacktivism: a catchy term --- Hacktivism has become a popular term in international politics. It poses many challenges to the international community because, although illegal, they can sometimes side with popular movements with an agenda of change. What if hacktivism works to hold accountable political leaders and companies? Should it be tolerated? How should pro-democracy governments react when activists leak information that leads to the defeat of corrupt leaders? Hacktivist groups are good at gaining media attention, especially when they leak confidential information or disseminate anti-government slogans. However, their methods (usually DDoS) have not yet merited urgent measures from groups like G7, G20, or prominent regional organizations. It seems that they play an uncomfortable role in politics but are not yet considered a critical threat. They are treated as criminals even if they claim to pursue social justice ideologies. Perhaps, hacktivism is just a catchy term to explain that a cybercriminal is not after economic gains.

Source author: Juan Feliciano Ascencio Moctezuma jascencio@sre.gob.mx