Hacktivism and its implications for international security in the 21st century
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Date
2015-04-17
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University of Ghana
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
Description
School of social sciences colloquium
Keywords
technology, accountability, public interest, public domain