The personal-computer revolution is barely a decade old. This text was originally published in French.By Curt Suplee The reviewer is a reporter for the Style section of the Washington Post December 5, 1984

It is also a carrier of a major social innovation! It defines ethical guidelines that make the action credible and legitimate.īut hacker ethics, goes beyond these six principles that define it. It allows other forms of hacktivism to retain their power to express themselves, like the Telecomix group, which ensures that states cannot deprive their people of access to the Internet. It generally invites – prior to any disclosure to the general public – the responsible parties to make the necessary corrections. It ensures that civil society is informed of the drift and technological risks to which it is exposed, whether intentional endangerment or not.

This form of technological hacktivism is the cornerstone of hacktivism for several reasons: As an illustration, Elliot Alderson warned of the dubious practices of India’s prime minister Narendra Modi, who compromised the personal data of millions of Indians who had downloaded his personal mobile application NA MO. More than 30 years later, Levy’s stated principles are still valid. Their actions could be described as technological hacktivism. They fight censorship, illegitimate surveillance. They are also – most of the time – against any form of authority that attacks digital freedom. In this ethical framework, hackers are concerned about the interest of the collective. You can create art and beauty with a computer. Hackers must be judged according to their hacks, not according to false criteria such as diplomas, age, ethnic origin or social rank. Do not hesitate to roll up your sleeves to overcome difficulties.īe wary of authority – encourage decentralization. According to Levy, the ethics of the hacker community follows six principles on which “white hats” do not compromise:Īccess to computers – as well as anything that can help to understand how the world works – must be universal and unlimited. It will be necessary to wait until 2013, to have a French translation under the title L'Ethique des hackers](). It was the first to really focus on hacker culture and its ethical principles. The book Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution was published in 1984 by Steven Levy. It would not be a question of putting in the same basket those who put their technological knowledge to hostile ends the “black hat” hackers, and those who put it at the service of good: the “white hat”. In view of too often pejorative use of the term “hacker” let’s be precise. The difference between the “black hat” and “white hat”

Steven levy's hackers