Dissecting the “Hacker Manifesto”

Abstract

Twelve years ago, a text was written within the hacking community which is widely referred to as the “Hacker Manifesto”. This text, and the opinions that it offers, have since been widely embraced by the hacker community and the document is referenced from numerous sites on the Internet. This paper sets out to examine the content of the Manifesto and considers the validity of many of the messages that it imparts. The Manifesto is considered to present an undoubtedly pro‐hacker message, without acknowledging other perspectives or the wider implications of the activities that it is advocating. The paper explores some of these issues, examining both the consequences of the Manifesto’s dissemination and ways in which security professionals and society at large should respond. It is concluded that whilst the Manifesto obviously cannot bear the sole responsibility for promoting and encouraging hacker activity, it at best sends out an incomplete message that should be balanced with appropriate counter‐argument.