Re: HateWatch Press Release: Activism vs Hacktivism

[noreastah <noreastah@acadia.net>]

[: hacktivism :]

Greetings,

My name is Andy and I've been lurking here for about a week. Time for me to
jump in:

To be honest, I don't feel a bit sorry for the poor KKK! They are an
organization that has a history of "limiting people's life" and we are
worried about "limiting their speech"?!? Yes, I suppose that there are
other ways that this could have been handled. But, I won't be shedding any
tears for those assholes. 

Temporarily altering some racist web site is more like giving them the
finger than limiting their free speech. I'm sure their web site will be
back to "normal" soon spreading more hate. 

The only thing that I would worry about is that hacking a group like the
KKK's web site could possibly create sympathy for them among people with
racist tendencies - and thus could backfire down the road. 

Andy

At 01:17 PM 9/5/99 +0300, you wrote:
>[: hacktivism :]
>
>I totally agree with this message.
>
>To hack a site under the pretext it doesn't match one's ideas about what 
>is a "good cause" turns hacktivist into the same kind of intolerant 
>people they are supposed to fight.
>
>We don't need censors, whoever they may be, governments or hacktivists.
>
>Parsifal
>
>
>
>You wrote on 5/09/99 4:40 from Art McGee amcgee@igc.org
>
>>[: hacktivism :]
>>
>>---------- Forwarded message ----------
>>Date: 5 Sep 1999 01:22:36 -0000
>>From: HateWatch Updates <info@hatewatch.org>
>>Subject: HateWatch Press Release
>>
>>HateWatch Updates - http://hatewatch.org
>>
>>HateWatch Press Release: Activism vs Hacktivism
>>
>>On September 4, 1999 the Ku Klux Klan web site at www.kkk.com was
>>vandalized. The entire KKK web site was replaced with the contents of the
>>HateWatch web site. HateWatch has not nor ever will condone such behavior.
>>Not only is this type of action illegal but it has the effect of calling
>>into question the legitimacy of the online civil rights movement as a
>>whole. In the strongest possible terms, HateWatch condemns this type of
>>"hacktivism" against the Ku Klux Klan web site or any web site, regardless
>>of the rationale. 
>>
>>This week, David Goldman founder and Director of HateWatch was interviewed
>>for an article in the Village Voice concerning the recent hacking of the
>>anti-gay web site godhatesfags.com. Mr. Goldman stated that hacking hate
>>sites, "...as a tactic to be used by the civil rights community, is a
>>misguided one. Limiting someone's speech...even temporarily takes away one
>>of the greatest advantages the civil rights community has on the Web:
>>exposing bigots using their own words." 
>>
>>Rather than defacing racist web sites which only hurt the cause, HateWatch
>>invites those that are interested to volunteer at HateWatch or another
>>similar organization. Education and participation, not acts of vandalism,
>>will make the web a more tolerant community. 
>>
>>
>>HateWatch (www.hatewatch.org), founded in 1996, is a nonprofit
>>organization that combats the growing and evolving threat of online
>>bigotry. 
>>
>>-30-
>>
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