Web of Protest

We have come to expect the Internet to be leveraged by Hacktivists to carry their political, or commercial bashing message forward to the masses. We realise that the opportunities presented by the global media channel of the Internet can be utilised to gain access to a reading public made up of billions, all connected through a common web. And we are very much aware that, on occasions, to take the message forward with increased levels of impact, it may be augmented with a Denial-of-Service-Attack.

What I have found to be an interesting slant on the way Hacktivists conduct their business, is this new term ‘Activist’ that encompasses organisations who present themselves in the form of Wikipedia, Google, and Craigslist, who are rebelling against proposed US Congress Legislation, considered to carry potential impact the openness of the Internet, and who are taking their own action to carry ‘their’ messages forward to the (their) public.

In the case of Wikipedia, to mark their protest a 24-hour blackout was the method of choice, to communicate their disagreement, denying the service to their trusting public. However, Google and Craigslist have taken a slightly different approach, and unlike Wikipedia, their sites will remain on-line, but will carry their personal corporate message as to their own position on the new proposals.

So, to quote the words of the late and great Mr Gerry Rafferty: "Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right. Here ‘I’ am stuck in the middle with you". Or in this case, ‘Hacktivists to the left of me  . . . . etc. ‘. Thus I am left wondering where this leaves the user of Internet services, and as to how their expectations should be managed?

I feel it also raises a question about the Corporate Responsibility of any organisation that wishes to flex their strength, or retract a service to make a point – is this a professional, and correct approach to take? All I am hoping is that the local electricity supplier, or water authority does not get miffed-off by something, and decide to make their own public statement. Now that would be interesting!

My conclusion is thus: I can understand the anarchist doing their thing – that’s life! But when what would seem to be a respectable organisation jumps on the bandwagon, for me at least, that is a very different matter!

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