Hacking: Is it moral?

[dreamscape]

After I've spent the last few weeks of my life in the yahoo hacker's lounge chat room i've asked myself is hacking into to others people's personal things right even though it may be for a good cause to get info on terrorist.

[jacobo]

nope. invasion of personal privacy. if your logic is such then it should be ok to open someone's mail to see if they're a terrorist... now if you have probable cause then go ahead but anything less would violate rights.

[Kaniaz]

I doubt terroists would be using hotmail or something exploitable for a start. But anyway, if you did hack a terroists e-mail, chances are they'd get very angry, traceroute you, get your ISP, get your address and do something bad to you.

[Awaken]

Originally posted by specialedd101 After I've spent the last few weeks of my life in the yahoo hacker's lounge chat room i've asked myself is hacking into to others people's personal things right even though it may be for a good cause to get info on terrorist. Would it be right for the police to do random searches of peoples' homes for drugs? Get real. This is the tripe which is destroying humanity's trust in itself in the first place. Break the cycle. *edit I'm not trying to get on your bad side, I don't wanna be #3 on your siggie because I know your intentions are good and that I'm no better for thinking what I do - but mistrust breeds mistrust. Period.

[dreamscape]

I'm not a hacker i was just wondering

[Howie]

Originally posted by specialedd101 After I've spent the last few weeks of my life in the yahoo hacker's lounge chat room i've asked myself is hacking into to others people's personal things right even though it may be for a good cause to get info on terrorist. There you have it = Personal things. Not Hackers things Just like the patriot act. You have a very narrow margin where you are or are not infringing on someone's rights.

[dougdrums]

lol, you aren't going to find any real hackers in the yahoo "hacker's lounge". In fact, I think the majority of hackers work by themselves, or maybe with some friends at some 2600 meetings. Hell, I've even trained a few of my closest friends how to "hack" more or less, so at least they have the interest to learn and a firm ground to start on, and is someone I trust working with. Today, the internet is a very different place then when I was hacking around on the internet as a young kid with his toshiba laptop and more than enough phones to keep me busy hacking apart for weeks. The thing is, no one really understands now what the internet was for. THE INTERNET WAS MADE TO SHARE INFORMATION, NOT TO PROTECT IT. If it's out there, it's open. Fuck passwords, fuck firewalls, fuck encryption, fuck your ssl, fuck your ssh, fuck your dmz, your ids'es, your sql database, and anything else you put out there. If you don't want people reading your sensitive letters, drop them off, mail them, or fax them. If you don't the information on your workstation read, don't hook it up. If you don't want people to figure out what you are saying, say it face to face. If you want to buy something, go down to the damn store. If you don't want people to get your data, don't put it on the internet. You don't just share stuff when you don't want it shared. Don't listen all the commercial bs about uncrackable firewalls and encryption. If it's on the internet, and someone wants the information, they have it. And quite honestly, you should have been more careful. The internet is a public place. That's just my stand on the internet and privacy. I have other stuff to say too, but I have to get some sleep . And should this be moved out of sensless banter? (By the way: No one would want to go through your email. There's not much to learn there.)

[nightowl]

dougdrums, you make an interesting point I've never even considered. But I still think that people should have at least SOME privacy. A little Off-topic: I hate spyware and ads. I feel that it should be made illegal for sites to download programs onto your computer without your consent. As for ads, Well they are just annoying. Especially when you X out of one ad and two more take it's place. Don't say use Ad and spybot removal programs or Adblockers. They, for the most part, don't work. I still get ads even with an adblocker, I use adware and spybot search almost once a day and I still get new ads/spyware on my computer

[dougdrums]

Reminds me of a bash.org quote... <foo> Damn, more spam invading my inbox <Aviator> Nooooobody expects the Spammer's Imposition! <Aviator> Our two weapons are offshore servers and feeble laws. Feeble laws and offshore servers. <Aviator> And fake headers. Our THREE weapons are offshore servers, feeble laws and fake headers. <Aviator> And gulliable horny lamers. Our FOUR weapons are... I'll come in again. -!- Aviator [dsm@mimas] has quit [Come, Cardinal Bigglesworth!] -!- Aviator [dsm@mimas] has joined #chat <foo> Riiiiiight... * Aviator tortures foo with the comfy V14Gr/ and the soft Debt Consolidation[/b]

[jacobo]

i can more easily go through someone's mail box than i can hack their computer... i mean shit the mail box is right there by the street! you're telling me that you wouldn't be pissed if i went through your mail? if i stole some checks out of your mail box? stole your social security number then ran around impersonating you?

[CT]

this thread is retarded!

[Death-Wuad]

Privacy is privacy, stay out of somebody's email. It's not yours, and it's not right. If you are going to argue that the internet is entirely public, then you can argue that the world is public, so go ahead, just barge into somebody's home and look their stuff. The patriot act is immoral and injust, the people who passed it should get the death penalty.

[dougdrums]

I could argue that the world is public, but I didn't. The point is if you don't want someone going through your stuff, don't put it out there expecting it not to be uncovered.

[Kaniaz]

I have no opinon on this. I start writing something but then delete it all because each side has a really valid point. I wish this topic would just blow up and turn into a fantastically perfect solution that meets everybody needs, but in this case I don't think there is one.

[jacobo]

i know! invent "the internet 2." yes i can see it now... hackers get the internet because it's full of porn and nastiness and all us honest law abiding citizens of earth with start over in the internet 2. small print: i take all responsibility for inventing the internet 2. yes, it\'s a political ploy so when i run for office in 2025 i can say... "i invented the internet 2."

[dougdrums]

hahahah, yes, I read that article on sa.