This document outlines a student's media pitch for an essay on the topic of hacking. The student intends to discuss how hacking affects privacy, compare the hacking groups Lulzsec and Anonymous, and relate their investigation to Edward Snowden and the NSA. In particular, the student will analyze how the NSA monitors internet searches without consent, and how Anonymous has brought down child pornography websites for the public good, despite being a hacking group. The student provides several sources they plan to use in their analysis.

1. Media Pitch
Shaun Evans

2. Hypothesis
I expect to find out more about the powers of
hacking on the internet and how hacking can
also be used for good instead of bad.
Relating my investigation to very current
stories such as Edward Snowden and the
NSA.

3. My Idea...
My idea for my essay is how hacking affects
our privacy. I could concentrate on the two
biggest organised hacking groups, Lulzsec
and Anonymous who both originated from
Reddit or Tumblr.

4. My idea continued...
I want to also concentrate on how hacking into
our systems means the hacker can access
nearly everything about us without us even
knowing. But at the same time, some
organised hacking operations are planned
for the good of people. For example, the
hacking group Anonymous brought down
multiple child porn websites from the
internet and found out information about
every single member of those websites and
leaked their information on the internet.

5. Why did I pick this subject?
The main reason I want to do my essay and
production about hacking is because many
people underestimate the power of hacking
and hacking is also a very current discussion
at the moment.
Also research USA Today, are you ready for a
cyber-attack (video)

6. List of texts to analyse
http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/colum
nist/komando/2013/09/06/cyberattack-
hackers-syrian-electronic-army/2757833/
“How prepared are you for a cyberattack?”
http://smallbusiness.chron.com/effects-
computer-hacking-organization-17975.html
“The Effects of Computer Hacking on an
Organization”

7. Edward Snowden
I will also be concentrating on Edward
Snowden who revealed to the world that the
NSA is monitoring our internet searches and
what we do on a daily basis.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Snowde
n
Many support Snowden’s work calling him
patriotic but a lot of others see him as
against his country.

8. The NSA
The NSA (National Security Agency) may not
be a hacking organisation but they are
monitoring everything we search for on the
internet, meaning our privacy is breached.
The NSA could be related to the theory of the
hypodermic needle, because they have
brainwashed the public into believing
Edward Snowden is a criminal. Also, then
the public jump on this bandwagon and call
Snowden a criminal or a traitor, when they
don’t understand what he did.

9. Anonymous and Lulz Security
Both groups originated from websites such as
Reddit and Tumblr, but both groups are
completely different in their motives.
Lulz Security hack into websites and
companies for a joke or for the “lulz”.
Whereas Anonymous are a lot more serious,
hacking into illegal websites and bringing
them down, also helping the smaller person
such as civilians in third world countries.
Meaning they have been sometimes named
the “Robin Hoods of the cyber world”

10. Lulzsec
http://www.news.com.au/technology/sophos
-says-lulz-security-effective-as-schoolboys-
boasting-about-imaginary-girlfriends/story-
e6frfro0-1226076458883
“Lulz Security about as effective as
‘schoolboys boasting about imaginary
girlfriends’”

11. “Developing: Anonymous is currently keeping
multiple child porn websites offline right
now for #OpAlice: @reportapedo.
#TangoDown” - Anonymous
(@AnonOpsLegion)
http://www.news.com.au/technology/anony
mous-hackers-attack-north-korea-news-
website-flickr-account-and-twitter-
feed/story-e6frfro0-1226612875474

12. Linked Production
My linked production will be a film trailer
about two hackers who steal £50m from
bank accounts and get arrested and are
forced to work for the government against
cyber attacks from terrorists…
There will obviously be more but this is only a
brief description