Hacker Hacking, Web Usage and the Internet Hierarchy

Computer hacking is perceived as a crime and is frequently motivated by economic interests such as the stealing of personal and credit information, or by ideological interests such as the disruption of a company's service or the acquisition of classified information from government or corporate sites.

However, hacking is also quite frequently used as an instrument for the expression of political, philosophical and practical frustrations. As a result, hacking has become the province of a number of highly intelligent, skilled and sophisticated groups designed to invoke public scrutiny of our society, our leaders and the direction of our world as a whole. Even in their criminality, such hackers appear...

So tells the presentation by Misha Glenny during a recent TED Convention speech. Glenny describes Anonymous as "a sophisticated group of politically motivated hackers who have emerged in 2011. And they're pretty scary. You never know when they're going to attack next, who or what the consequences will be."
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As an example, Glenny reports that the group hacked the Fox News Twitter account to announce that President Obama had been assassinated. It proved a tremendous embarrassment for a network that has been a constant and rabid critic of the president. It also demonstrated the power…