Formed by combining “hack” with “activism,”
hacktivism is the act of
hacking into a
Web site or computer system in order to communicate a politically or socially motivated message. Unlike a malicious hacker, who may disrupt a system for financial gain or out of a desire to cause harm, the
hacktivist performs the same kinds of disruptive actions (such as a
DoS attack) in order to draw attention to a cause. For the hacktivist, it is an
Internet-enabled way to practice civil disobedience and protest.
