Hacktivism and its implications for international security in the 21st century

Abstract

Hacktivists by their non-state and often transnational nature, can due to internet technology, sit anywhere in the world and put pressure on any government to demand transparency, accountability and protection of human rights among others. Hacktivism thus immediately presents a complex for states. States are increasingly facing political activism that is pursued not only by residents within the state but immensely aided by several faceless internet users across the world. Again, hacktivists in the name of promoting global public interest go to the extent of accessing classified state information and leaking them into the public domain. This deepens the complex posed by hacktivism to states. If the secret actions and intentions of a state are leaked, that state cannot be sure of the reactions of its citizens and the international community to the declassified information. While hacktivists claim that their activities promote global public interest, targeted states have often decried hacktivism as a danger to international security. The hacktivist thus is a modern actor that potentially changes the dynamics of the international system and as such is worthy of academic investigation. The budding literature on hacktivism however, has paid more attention to the usage of hacktivism as a tool of protest; the legality of hacktivism and the ramifications of hacktivism for diplomacy. In this light, this study redirects focus to the implications of hacktivism for international security, foreign policy formulation and the theoretical debate in international relations regarding how states behave