Cyberactivism, Chapter 3.

In chapter 3, titled "Classifying Forms of Online Activism: The Case of Cyberprotests against the World Bank", Sandor Vegh lists three general types of activism using the internet: awareness/advocacy (spreading information about a cause), organization/mobilization (calling for action on behalf of a cause), and action/reaction (direct action through the internet, or hacktivism). He goes into the greatest detail on the last of these, noting specifically actions in connection to the WTO protests in Seattle.

My first thought when reading about hacktivism was skepticism. First, it seems more like an extreme version of spreading awareness than a useful tactic, and perhaps more alienating as well. At best, you might make a few visitors to the site aware of your cause, but it does little to convince your opponents to listen to you. Second, it seems a bit juvenile in its method; I couldn't help but think of our own campus's infamous "Anarchist Tagger" and the general student body's opinion on his methods. Graffiti is, by many, considered not revolutionary but annoying.

Upon further thought, however, I realized that I was leaving out the real point of both graffiti and hacktivism: a statement of defiance to the institution involved. Just like spraypainting all over the front doors of a bank is a slap to the bank's face, hacking into an organization's website and defacing it is a slap to the organization's face. In addition, it shakes the public's faith in that institution, providing further embarassment.

I suppose it depends on what one wants to accomplish. I personally believe in mediation and compromise over all-out assault and conquering, so I disagree with the usefulness of hacktivism from a practical point. As for emotional value, though, I sympathize with what the hacktivist is trying to do, and I won't deny that I get a kick out of seeing a corporate website infiltrated.