[CC] Cult of the Dead Cow To Attack Global Censorship

[George(s) Lessard]

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To:             	chinese internet research 
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From:           	Gerry Groot <gerry.groot at adelaide.edu.au>
Date sent:      	Tue, 11 Mar 2003 10:20:05 +1030
Subject:        	[chineseinternetresearch] Hacker Group To Attack Global 
Censorship
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Hacker Group To Attack Global Censorship

By Robyn Weisman
NewsFactor Network
December 07, 2000
http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/5918.html

<http://sci.newsfactor.com/images/osopinion/story-KM-Cable-modem-piracy.jpg> 
<http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/5918.html>
The swashbuckling CDC hacker organization is about to take up the sword 
in defense of global freedom of Internet information.

A venerable (by Internet standards) hacker organization revealed 
Wednesday that it is nearly finished creating software that would allow 
'netizens' around the world to undercut Web-based restrictions imposed 
by closed regimes such as Iran, Cuba and China.

The group, known as the Cult of the Dead Cow 
<http://www.cultdeadcow.com> (CDC), had announced its plans last July at 
a conference called Hacking on Planet Earth (H2K). "Oxblood Ruffin," one 
of the leaders of the 16 year-old group, said he had personally chosen 
six hackers to work on the project.

Ruffin disclosed Wednesday that global software distribution will start 
in March by a human rights organization, whose identity he did not reveal.

"We're not doing anything illegal," Ruffin told foreign news sources. He 
said that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, issued in 1947 by 
the United Nations, motivated the group's hacktivism. The Declaration 
calls for freedom of access to information.

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Napster-like Freedom

Ruffin told news sources that the as-yet unnamed software will operate 
in a manner similar to Napster or Gnutella, allowing users to exchange 
files while remaining undetected by government censors. The software 
will also give users the ability to circumvent local servers that bar 
access to certain Web sites.

In advocating the new software, Ruffin condemned the governments of Cuba 
and Iran for preventing its citizens from viewing Web sites they deem 
"inappropriate."

Ruffin then excoriated China as being one of the greatest violators of 
netizens' rights. According to Ruffin, the Chinese government has banned 
at least 100 Web sites since 1996, many of which provide uncensored news 
about government actions by its leaders.

Responsible Hacktivism

In the past, Ruffin has mentioned a group of perhaps 100 Chinese hackers 
known as the "Hong Kong Blondes," whose self-assigned mission is to 
destabilize China's government. Many of these hackers, whose existence 
has not been confirmed by other sources, are reportedly members of 
China's Communist Party.

However, Ruffin and CDC severed their affiliation with the group when 
CDC learned they planned to use their hacker expertise to try to shut 
down the intranets of several U.S. corporations.

"The American public would not have supported any such adventure, and it 
would have worked seriously against the cause [of social justice]," 
Ruffin said.

Hacks Vs. Cracks

Ruffin, who many believe first coined the term "hacktivism," believes 
that the concept of hacking has been corrupted to include what he 
considers destructive actions such as malicious viruses and network 
intrusions. He now distinguishes between true hacktivism and what he 
labels "cracktivism."

"The former seeks to remedy the Internet of bad code, restrictions, lack 
of access, and so forth. The latter seeks to use the net through various 
protest actions or as a publicity medium," said Ruffin. "I very much 
disagree with [cracktivism] methodology." 
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