Hackers :: Technology Hacking Essays

Hackers We are people who live among a society where obeying the laws is apart of our culture. Of course there will be people trying to break the rules and disrupt society for whatever reason. Crime is always a possibility just like in an online community or anywhere on the Internet in general. These criminals are known as Hackers because of their capabilities to steal or damage information on the Internet that can be very valuable like bank accounts or even top-secret government files. Capabilities like these must come from in-depth knowledge of the computer and Internet. Which leads to the myth that anyone with computer intelligence or being a "computer nerd," is a hacker. In the movie entitled Hackers, this stereotype is greatly promoted. Throughout the film, it seemed like almost every single person who used a computer was some sort of hacker. There were so many hackers portrayed, you even had good hackers, bad hackers, and really weird hackers. Yet out of all the people I've known in my life that know a lot about computers have never hacked anything before. The majority were youths which leads to another myth about hackers, they are considered outsiders and live troubled lives which causes them to "screw with society." The reality is most hacking is a lot like in this movie, purely to mess around in a way. Since being in a virtual world that has no physical contact, there is no immediate punishment and no cops there to chase you down with a baton. In the film it also seemed like some sort of "cat and mouse," game between the hackers and feds, but in reality being hunted down by the FBI and sent to prison is not a light matter. It is also true that being hacker must have a sufficient amount of computer knowledge but even a "Software God," like Bill Gates is not a hacker. So just because someone practically built a computer or knows everything about the Internet doesn't mean they are stealing off of it also. That's like saying an auto-mechanic is going to commit Grand Theft Auto since that person knows a car like the back of their hand. In contrast, the same computer knowledge that is used to get around the Internet can also be used to protect it. Being fearful of hackers on the Internet is like being fearful of thieves in the real world.