http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/04/06/1017206280799.html 'Hacktivists' rage against the machine By Jenny Sinclair April 9 2002 From a stone farmhouse in west Wales to a home in France, the cyber activists are fighting globalisation - or at least the commercial kind. "The Hacktivists", a documentary screening on ABC TV on Thursday, May 2 uses the lead-up to an anti-globalisation protest in Canada to frame the lives of computer activists around the world, including the Electronic Disturbance Theatre and the Federation of Random Action. One US security analyst and academic compares the "hacktivists" to swarms of insects that can overwhelm much larger targets. Virtual sit-ins are shown as natural extensions of street protests but the show glosses over the possibility that some of the traffic in these sit-ins might be from unwilling participants, victims of hacking and back-door programs that take over their computers. The show meets the makers of FloodNet, the automated Web attack software used in solidarity with the Zapatista revolutionaries to flood the Mexican president's home page. It also interviews the people behind the attack on the eToys website by supporters of existing "art" group eToy Corporation. The segment, with descriptions of "virtual shopper" soldiers wrecking the online business, shows just how effective these tools can be. Set up against these activists are types like Ben Venzske, a cyber private eye who cruises the dark corners of the Net on behalf of corporations fearful of becoming targets of an organised attack. Cyber wars and events occurring over distributed networks are not best suited to the medium of television, and the first half is a little heavy on the mood music and moody profile shots of hackers. It improves when the Canadian action is under way, with activists reporting live from the street. "Are these boys who want toys, or are these humans who want a better society?" asks one activist. A bit of each, probably. The show claims that the cyber activists and their street equivalents are becoming a serious threat to globalisation; it underplays the abilities of their targets to rise to the challenge if they deem it necessary. "True Stories: The Hacktivists" screens on the ABC on Thursday, May 2 at 10pm
