Grant I.
Ciara Grant
American Politics
T.Grossi
April 20, 2017
“KillSwitch” Essay #2
The film Killswitch was about the government trying to monopolize and control user traffic on the internet. Whether it is for security purposes or financial gain, our system of democracy is being compromised at a technological level. Several speakers including Tim Wu, expressed how “hacktivism” was a revolutionary tool used to take a stand against government interference.
One of the main topics of Killswitch’s is democracy and how it is being challenged now at a technological level. The film portrays how the smaller groups that have funding are trying to control the majority through restriction of internet capabilities and more surveillance amongst
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They were both targeted because of their politics and ideology behind the system of Government.
Aaron Swarts becomes the face of this cause of freedom of Internet Privacy. The back story of Aaron Swarts and how he was portrayed as a hero, can make a person question and distrust the government even more. Aaron Swarts embodies the fight for protection of freedom of press.
They were both targeted because they used the freedom of the internet to do what they thought was right by the people. It’s a network platform formed of smaller connecting networks that multiplies in the age of technology. The internet is a huge collaboration with social websites like google, twitter, email accounts, Facebook and so forth. It can be a platform for all interest of fields. This is where citizens can communicate freely amongst each other where we share post on issues and news. The internet is a supposed to be anyplace that’s not monitored and where we can receive unaltered information and form our own ideologies on topics. The filmmakers in Killswitch believes that. The internet was invented to be that place but can it stay that way? Its Critical to know that the network continues to empower people
I chose to compare between them because both of them are very interesting characters that I agree with their political decisions and their vision.
Kenneth first premise is that hacktivism with political motivation is digital civil disobedience. She argues that the characteristics of hacktivists and the motivation of the act decided
Ghost in the Wires is a story of Kevin Mitnick’s life. I find the book’s topic compelling because I have always been interested in doing what Kevin does: hacking and working with what makes technology tick. He also opened my eyes to a new culture called “phreaking”. As I read, the book became even more interesting, as Kevin not only told us what he did; he told us how he did it descriptively. He told us comedic stories about pranks he would pull on businesses with his colleagues, his close run-ins with authority, and other tales that made me smile. Along with this were personal problems he encountered, such as his divorce with Bonnie Vitello, and the involvement of the government in his activities online, which made me feel closer to him as
It’s a bright Sunday morning; the birds are chirping, the smell of fresh coffee is in the air and you turn on the tv; “Another Leak Of All Verizon Users Personal Information Out On The Web” is today's headline on the news. In our society right now; the government has the utmost power; yet they might not be using their powers in ways you’d expect. If you're a daily electronic users at Urbandale High School who spends at least 30 hours a week using online functions for entertainment or work; then you might not have heard or seen what the government's been doing recently. In an in depth analysis shows that our life we’re living right now could be seen as a dystopian universe over 50 years ago. Yet as our nation advances, its being advanced in
fate was unfair, these people had enemies in the opposing party. This friction led to the
both established totalitarian governments. The Party also ran a totalitarian government but on a much larger scale. A large part
The film V for Vendetta takes place in an alternate-present world, where a totalitarian, over-controlling government rules over Britain, where their influence of power is prevalent throughout the course of the film. The story mainly focuses on the actions of the vigilante known as "V", a mysterious self-described anarchist. The world in which V and the film portrays, is one that carries many similarities to our present day world, in an exaggerated sense. The British government in the film, rules with an iron fist and very little leniency, the media constantly clogs the airwaves with propaganda, policemen enforce laws with unprovoked violence and no check to their power, allowing them to do as they please without any retribution. V's ultimate
In the mid-1990’s Tor was built to support government spying operations by military programmers. The program later resurfaced in 2013 when a man named Edward Snowden “leaked a trove of secrets about U.S. government surveillance, and showed a sticker on his laptop supporting the Tor Project, the nonprofit that runs the anonymity network” (Smith). Today, Tor is software that can be downloaded online and operates like a web browser, however, it tends to move slower because it is “bouncing packets of data across several continents to protect anonymity” (Smith). The United States Department initial provided money to the Tor Project, so that many people such as journalists,
The internet represents a medium for both liberty and control. However, it can be used a a tool of control and dominance, increasing governmental power, enhancing government ability to monitor its citizens and potentially control individuals. the NSA uses supercomputers to hack even encrypted systems. This opens a wider door for hackers; it leaves us more vulnerable to being hacked by others, and not just the
In 1993, citizens still cursed out the web World-Wide-Web and afterward accommodatingly shortened it (W.W.W.) for newcomers. A considerable amount has changed since that year, when it started to first light on activists, agitators, and nerds that organized PCs could be utilized as devices for individual and gathering political activity. The individuals who perceived the power and reach of broad communications had as of now been searching for approaches to talk back to government officials, organizations and others. Access to work area best distributing and picture altering, and in addition the way to disseminate through the web started to be utilized as instruments in a practice that came to be known as "culture jamming," which includes turning around the normal messages and making a resistance. [Culture Jamming] Does post-9/11 America still discover the defiance of net saboteurs? What’s more, hacktivists Romantic? Is it handy today to seek after individual activism and resistance?
James McTeique’s V for Vendetta explores several different themes common to the Science-Fiction genre, but focuses mainly on the concept of a dystopian political environment. The film depicts an autocratic government that rules over an oppressed society by controlling almost every aspect of their lives, such as their jobs and even the types of foods they are allowed.
Former counsel to the National Security Agency, Joel Brenner, said, “The Internet was not built for security, yet we have made it the backbone of virtually all private sector and government operations, as well as communications” (Lee, Anderson, & Connolly, 2014, p. 9). He continued and said it has brought with it dramatic gains, but it has created excessive vulnerabilities (p. 9). It is the feeling across the world that people’s identities and business will constantly be under attack. The evidence of the Stuxnet worm is an indicator that there are attacks occurring at the nation-state level, and it is increasing in disruption and destruction. It is anticipated that a major cyber attack will cause widespread harm to security at the national level, and will cause risks in people’s ability to defend themselves. By 2025, people anticipate there will be widespread use of cyber terrorism and threats (p. 9).
Hacktivism is the act of hacking, or breaking into a computer system, for a politically or socially motivated purpose. This term has been around since the 1980s, but never has it been more prevalent than now. It seems that not a week can go by without one of these online incidents appearing on the news. With technology advancing, it raises the following question: Are hacktivists beneficial or detrimental to society? After a careful analysis of the pros and cons, one side of this question becomes increasing favorable. Hacktivism is a good thing for society.
Among Nir Zigdon, various others have spiked a surprising increase in internet based hacktivism. These new hacktivists have brought with them a new form of law enforcement punishment on the basis of hacktivist crime. The impressive amounts of protests and internet sit ins went hand in hand with law enforcement that was equally as impressive. FBI and police have detained hundreds of activists and levied astronomical fines sometimes reaching nearly $500,000 over the past year (Coleman, 401-402). By increasing penalties, law enforcement ensure that hacktivism would cease. For instance, hackers of the Islamic State known as the Cyber Caliphate seized control of the U.S Central Command’s Twitter account and hijacked a French T.V network in early April. These hackers were to be found with lifelong sentences in detainment facilities if ever caught. With the wake of hacktivism, law enforcement have placed astronomical punishments to derail hacking-based crimes. It is foolish to concur with the many who dispute for the hacktivists to be unchained and freed of their fines however supporting the curtailment of the fines being placed would be wise. To dwindle the numbers of hacktivist related crimes, law enforcement have become insistent on the
The cyber-world around us is an evolving organic entity. The incredible advancements with technology and the interconnectivity between such systems make everyday life for the average American as easy as swiping a finger. From a person’s smartphone used to pass the time by mindlessly playing games to the United States’ federal computer networks filled with incredibly confidential databases and mainframes, the wide range of differing types of technology and networks is utilized for an even larger spectrum of capabilities, depending on who is operating. With a world that is becoming much more dependent on these networks running smoothly and efficiently as possible, these networks are becoming prime targets for individuals or organizations that may have other, more malicious ideas of how to utilize the true capabilities of these networks. Present day has seen its fair share of networks that have been compromised by unauthorized actors, but the real question that arises with this looming theory of “cyberterrorism” is what the actors’ desired endstate is. When a network is hacked and compromised, how the act is categorized is all dependent on the identity of those guilty, the intended targets, the desired outcome, and the overarching desired outcome the actors wished would come to fruition. All these components have led to the classification of cybercrimes, cyberterrorism,