Hackers are often misunderstood and portrayed negatively in popular culture. A hacker's motivation comes from intellectual curiosity to learn more about information systems, rather than malicious intent. However, "crackers" hack systems to cause harm. Hackers believe that all information should be free and accessible, and that one should be judged based on skills rather than attributes. The group Anonymous both promotes hacktivism but also contributes to hackers' negative reputation through questionable tactics. As technology evolves, society's perspective of hackers remains complex.

1. The Infamous Hacker and
Society’s perspective
Randi Lovelett

2. What is a Hacker?
• A Hacker is a person that “tests the limitations
of information systems out of intellectual
curiosity-to see whether they can gain access and
how far they can go”. (Reynolds, 2014, p. 96)
▫ Contain at least a basic understanding of
information systems and security features.
▫ Motivation comes from desire to learn more.

3. Hackers and popular culture
• Popular culture has many different views about hackers:
▫ Some people "hail them as the heroes of the computer revolution“
▫ Others see them as the demons that stole their credit card
information
▫ They are referred by Janet Murray as the "one of the great
creative wellsprings of our time, causing the inanimate circuits to
sing with ever more individualized and quirky voices“
• In an article by Svetlana Nikitina, hackers are compared
to tricksters of mythology on a number of levels
▫ Trickers were known to “defy definition”, as do hackers.
▫ They both work to break boundaries.
▫ They both challenge us to be “be prepared for deceit and pranks”
as a part of their creative abilities.
(Nikitina, 2012)

4. Hackers vs. Crackers
Hackers Crackers
• Desire to test limits of
security systems.
• May also desire to gain
publicity.
• Motivated by desire to
learn more.
• Hack systems for to point
out vulnerabilities.
• Defined as hackers with
the intention of causing
trouble.
• Desire to test limits of
security systems.
• But also desire to steal
data, corrupt systems and
cause other problems.
• Hack systems for
personal gain.
(“What is Hacker?”)

5. So… what are they?
• Because of the misunderstandings of what hackers are
defined as, no one knows what to think of them.
▫ The mass media portrays them as malevolent rebels, adding to
their negative connotation.
 But really they misuse the term “hacker”. Instead they should be using
the term “cracker”.
▫ The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines hackers as:
 “a person who is inexperienced or unskilled at a particular activity”
 “an expert at programming and solving problems with a computer.”
 These two very contradictory definitions contribute to the
misconceptions about hackers and their abilities.
(Nikitina, 2012)

6. Anonymous
• A widely known, loosely organized hacktivist
group created to promote free speech, free
access to information, and transparency of
government activities. (“What is Anonymous?”, 2015)
▫ Known for their hacks against governments world-
wide and against large corporations like Sony.
• Use computer hacking as their main tool
▫ But also use social media and organized street
protests to achieve their goals.
(Goode, 2015)

7. Anonymous continued…
• Was first known for playing pranks, but has
become more political and serious in recent
years. (“What is Anonymous?”, 2015)
▫ Commonly seen as cyberterrorists by governments
• Became one of the leading forces behind the
hacktivist movement in the 21st century.
▫ But they gave hackers a bad name through their
hypocritical ideals.
 Ex: promoting free speech by taking down websites.
(Goode, 2015)

8. The Hacker’s Perspective
• Studies have observed hacker’s cultural practices and
perceptions as technology evolves and as the cultural
view of hackers have changed.
▫ Especially after events like the Target hack of 2013.
• Society’s perspective towards hackers has become more
and more negative over time as personal privacy has
become an issue.
• Recently, a man named Steven Levy researched hacker
perspectives on surveillance and privacy and published
his findings in his book: Hackers: Heroes of the
Computer Revolution.
(Steinmetz, 2015)

9. Hacker Ethics
• The hacker ethic can be viewed as a particular
ontological perspective adopted by members of the
hacking subculture
• According to Steven Levy, hackers believe that:
1. Access to computers should be unlimited and total
 Provides the opportunity to take things apart and
possibly improve them
2. All information should be free
3. Mistrust authority-promote decentralization of
bureaucracies
 Deemed to be flawed systems because of the
boundaries they have to accessing information
(Steinmetz, 2015)

10. Hacker Ethics Continued
4. Hackers should be judged only by their hacking
abilities
 Not by age, sex, race, or position. Only by skill.
5. You can create art and beauty on a computer
6. Computers can change your life for the better
 They believe that computers have enriched our
lives and granted humans to turn dreams into
reality.
• Essentially, hackers love and promote freedom and
easy access to information.
(Steinmetz, 2015)

11. Conclusion
• Hackers have developed a negative connotation over the
years as technology and the concern for privacy have
grown.
▫ The group Anonymous and the media have contributed to
that.
• Most hackers are often mistaken for their “cracker”
counterparts, whom are hackers with malicious intent.
• Commonly seen as unethical people, when really hackers
have their own “ethical code” that goes against the
Computer Ethics Institute’s Computer Ethic code.
• Only through the development of technology and
concrete privacy policies can it be determined if hackers
are indeed good or bad to society.

12. References
Goode, L. (2015). Anonymous and the Political Ethos of Hacktivism. Popular Communication, 13(1),
74-86. doi:10.1080/15405702.2014.978000
NIKITINA, S. (2012). Hackers as Tricksters of the Digital Age: Creativity in Hacker Culture. Journal Of
Popular Culture, 45(1), 133-152. doi:10.1111/j.1540-5931.2011.00915.x
Reynolds, G. (2014). Ethics in Information Technology (5th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Steinmetz, K., & Gerber, J. (2015). "It Doesn't Have to Be This Way": Hacker Perspectives on Privacy.
Social Justice, 41(3), 29-51.
What is Anonymous? - Definition from WhatIs.com. (2015, November). Retrieved July 06, 2016, from
http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/Anonymous
What is hacker? - Definition from WhatIs.com. (n.d.). Retrieved July 06, 2016, from
http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/definition/hacker