Hackers, Outlaws or Patriots?

This is an unreleased film that eventually found its way on to Torrent sites around 2008 (there is a later, Director’s Cut, from 2010, which is shorter). It seems not to be properly edited, starting out as a general overview of the hackers’ world, and ending almost as a biography of Adrian Lamo.

Still, it is of great interest, and shows how people have many times stepped outside the bounds of society only to benefit it. Examples given cover Socrates and Galileo and others. The hackers featured are placed within that context.

In the beginning the film speaks to government agents and security experts who help explain the different types of hackers, white, gray and black (or crackers). And then trace some of the famous examples along that line.

There is a section on the dangers of cyber-terrorism, which surprisingly hasn’t really happened to date. But it shows how much damage could be done if terrorists decided to go down that path. I am surprised that as other paths have been closed down this door hasn’t yet been opened.

About half way through the film starts focusing on Adrian Lamo, who later became infamous as the person who snitched on Bradley Manning. Here, however, he appears as sort of the hero, who was hacking various government and corporate sites to show how weak they were on security.