Hacker Or Hero
“We criticize those journalists and media institutions, who self-censor to keep access to their government sources or to mitigate the financial and legal risks of civil and criminal lawsuits. We look down on private companies who extra-legally cut their services to journalists and media organizations after unfounded allegations by government officials. But are we, as private individuals, any better than those whom we criticize?” Alexa O’Brien, independent journalist.
Do you think Hackers can be this century super heros? Hacktivism is “ The use of computers and computer networks to promote political ends, chiefly free speech, human rights, and information ethics. It is carried out under the premise that proper use of technology can produce results similar to those of conventional acts of protest, activism, and civil disobedience.”(1) Hackers had a great role in changing the world defending human rights and freedom of speech, and that turn them from a regular hackers to a hacktivist, people use the technology hacking to effect social change.
Barrett Brown is a short of 6 feet tall man, skinny with sandy brown hair, grew up in Dallas County. He has limited technical abilities, but he is often referred to as an unofficial spokesperson for the hacktivist collective Anonymous. He faced more than hundred of federal charges related to hacking, then 105 years in jail! Before he crossed paths with the FBI, he was a journalist, a prolific writer who had contributed to publications. Brown said about that,”the only things that I’m proud of in my life are the things I was doing in January two thousand eleven; up to that point before that I was just a writer; I didn’t give a shit about other people. I just wrote stuff and just walked away from the story, just like every other fuckin’ journalist.”He is also a co-authored to a well-received book mocking creationism called, Flock of Dodos.”The fact that my complaint, my original complaint about the FBI, is that I’m no longer rich because of it, is a pretty small complaint in terms of what people go through every single day, because of not just the FBI but law enforcement and governments across the world.”, Barret Brown said.
This short video is an illustrating of the complete case of Brown:
Project PM:
“The field of battle is WikiLeaks. You are the troops.”John Perry, the founder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Project PM is an initiative founded by Brown. It is an online source of investigations focus on research and analysis that related to human rights, individual privacy, and the health of democratic. And this issues are an actionable resource for journalists, activists, and other interested parties.
Issues raised by Brown:
1- The right to link. The charges against Barrett for sharing the Stratfor data represent an attempt to criminalize linking. What does this mean for the rights of internet users, let alone journalists who link to primary source material? Online linking is used by millions daily. What absurd legal theory makes an internet user responsible for the content and consequences of a shared link, resulting in criminal charges?
2- Information, press and speech freedom. Barrett’s work to uncover the activities of private security and intelligence companies made him a prime target for prosecution. If citizens are prevented from researching the growing surveillance state, what will become of privacy, transparency, and civil liberties in America? Already we see chilling effects on journalists working to shed light on corruption and abuse among government contractors.
3-Selective prosecution. Many others — including established reporters — shared the same link to Stratfor data named in Barrett’s indictment. Why is only Barrett being prosecuted? And why is the FBI worried enough about the speech of an unarmed writer to conduct heavily-armed raids on his home? Barrett’s case is a prime example of the DOJ’s current prosecutorial abuse of journalists, whistleblowers, and information activists.
4-Reporters’ privilege. The laptop that Barrett allegedly hid contained journalistic sources and work product, including a book in progress. The First Amendment protects reporters from revealing confidential information or sources. It isn’t hard to conclude that the charges based on Barrett’s alleged concealment amount to an effort to inhibit his reporting on America’s growing surveillance industry.(1)
5- Liberty, and justice. By joining anonymous Brown stand for liberty and freedom and the human justice of everyone being able to say what they believes.
This video is best highlighting of Brown’s characters and opinions.
“when I say we, I mean a lot of people who will never get recognition for it, who don’t want recognition, who unlike me will never get praised for the great things they did.” Barret Brown. Study hacktivist is bringing so many thoughts and lessons to me. Before learning how hackers like Brown played a very important role in changing the world, I used to think of them as a computer geeks who use their high technical skills illegally. But thinking of hackers cases like Brown an unforgettable case especially for someone that did not have the hacker abilities, but charges of 105 years in prison because of hacking matters help to get to anew approach in understanding and learning about hacktivist.. Brown was a writer who defend his freedom of speech and wrote about what he thought is right, and his last words before his trial was,””I’ll probably be charged or indicted, just hope that a trial will bring more media attention to the issues that brought me here in the first place.”
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