Hacktivists have officially moved from nerdish extremists to become the political protest visionaries of the digital age, a meeting at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London will be told on Thursday. . . .
Hacktivists have officially moved from nerdish extremists to become the political protest visionaries of the digital age, a meeting at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London will be told on Thursday.

Paul Mobbs, an experienced Internet activist and anti-capitalist protestor, will tell attendees that the techniques used by politically minded computer hackers -- from jamming corporate networks and sending email viruses to defacing Web sites -- has moved into the realm of political campaigning.

Mobbs says that the term "Hacktivism" has been adopted by so many different groups, from peaceful Net campaigners to Internet hate groups, that it is essentially meaningless, but claims that Internet protest is here to stay. "It has a place, whether people like it or not," says Mobbs.

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