December 3rd Reading

"Phreaks, Hackers, and Trolls: The Politics of Transgression and Spectacle", Gabriella Coleman from Social Media Reader, Ch. 8, pg. 99

I personally have a negative connotation with the word "hacker." When I think of a hacker, I think of someone who breaches security measures online and releases people's private information. For example, whenever a large amount of people's personal info from a bank is shared publicly, I assume it must have been a hacker who did it. However, after reading this article by Gabriella Coleman, I know I probably shouldn't put all hackers in the same category. I liked learning more about the ethical principles behind hacking, but I still believe hackers think it's OK to put some people at risk in order to make information free and open-source for everyone else.

The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz (documentary)

"Now everyone has a license to speak, it's just a question about who gets heard." - Aaron Swartz

While watching the documentary, this quote stood out to me because it is important in multiple ways. I think it summarizes what Aaron was striving to achieve though his work his entire life. I also believe that it's a perfect example of the ethical principles discussed in Coleman's piece. It's about giving everyone a level playing field. I absolutely loved learning that he was one of the developers of Reddit, and even created a version Wikipedia years before the actual website Wikipedia!

To be honest, I never took the time to think about the negative implications fees on JSTOR articles had on people who didn't attend college. It's a platform I just accepted had restrictions on accessibility. The fact that Aaron didn't accept this, and chose to use his talent and skills to improve the lives of so many people who wouldn't have access to a database to enrich their education, is astounding. It definitely makes me look at a hackers in an entirely different way than I had before. Also getting a good sense of Aaron and his motivations behind his actions, it's hard to listen to Stephen Heymann, Assistant U.S. Attorney, define all hackers as greedy people without morals. What make this even more difficult, is understanding the other side. Heymann's boss said "stealing is stealing whether you're using a computer command or crowbar."