Hacktivists or Cyberterrorists? The Changing Media Discourse on Hacking(site info)
This paper scrutinizes the language of government reports and news media sources to shed light on their role in forming a negative image of politically motivated hacking in general, and online political activism, in particular. It is argued that the mass media's portrayal of hacking conveniently fits the elite's strategy to form a popular consensus in a way that supports the elite's crusade under different pretexts to eradicate hacking, an activity that may potentially threaten the dominant order. [First Monday]
http://www.firstmonday.dk/issues/issue7_10/vegh/in...
Computer Hacking New Tool of Political Activism(site info)
"Ruffin is among a growing group of outlaw programmers determined to make hacking more than job interviewing as an extreme sport. They are beginning to experiment with the mind-blowing skill locked in the global network of hackers as a powerful political tool for what Ruffin calls 'human rights hacking.'" [Toronto Star]
http://www.gis.net/~cht/torontostar.html