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Interesting point, but why fight an uphill battle? Wouldn't it be easier to avoid the term "hacker" because of the negative connotation? The importance of "hack

Interesting point, but why fight an uphill battle? Wouldn't it be easier to avoid the term "hacker" because of the negative connotation? The importance of "hacker culture" (experimentation, clever solutions, etc) goes far beyond the name. As someone who reads Hacker News, I understand what you mean by "hacking is essentially a creative process," but wouldn't it be easier to describe it as something like creative security research instead of hacking? "Hackers" will still understand what you mean, and maybe it would be less intimidating to others. Curious to hear other thoughts.

otoburb 10y ago
Professor Deibert is highly sensitive to labeling and deliberately chose and insists on denying the use of the bare term "hacker" to categorize Citizen Lab activities, instead preferring terms such as "hacktivism", self-styling himself as a "hacktivist", and his team as "researchers" in interviews and his blog[1]. [1] https://deibert.citizenlab.org/ https://deibert.citizenlab.org/
- developer2 10y ago
  Exactly. Quote from the article: >> Ron Deibert has led a team of counterespionage hackers—he prefers “researchers”—... It's explicitly stated that his preferred term is "researchers", and yet the Globe and Mail appears to go out of their way to sensationalize by first introducing the word "hackers". Upon reading the full article, the use of the term "hacker(s)" is minimal, and used appropriately for what we self-identifying hackers would use it for. I've become so accustomed to the word being used negatively that it takes a lot of mental effort to notice when it is used in a neutral or positive tone. I still find it fairly annoying that they included the word in the headline, as though to attract more views with a "controversial buzzword". It's true: the word "hacker" has long since been poisoned by the media. They cannot get away with using the term anymore, even with no ill intent. They spent over a decade using the term to rip people and communities apart. The damage is done, and no amount of effort on their part is going to allow them to sound sincere.
suyash 10y ago
We are all hackers at one point of another. Here is one source of the origination of the word http://tmrc.mit.edu/hackers-ref.html http://tmrc.mit.edu/hackers-ref.html
- got2surf 10y ago
  I agree, and that's a fascinating link. I think that "hacker" can be an accurate/valid description, but also a poor marketing choice at the same time.

otoburb 10y ago

Professor Deibert is highly sensitive to labeling and deliberately chose and insists on denying the use of the bare term "hacker" to categorize Citizen Lab activities, instead preferring terms such as "hacktivism", self-styling himself as a "hacktivist", and his team as "researchers" in interviews and his blog[1]. [1] https://deibert.citizenlab.org/ https://deibert.citizenlab.org/

developer2 10y ago
Exactly. Quote from the article: >> Ron Deibert has led a team of counterespionage hackers—he prefers “researchers”—... It's explicitly stated that his preferred term is "researchers", and yet the Globe and Mail appears to go out of their way to sensationalize by first introducing the word "hackers". Upon reading the full article, the use of the term "hacker(s)" is minimal, and used appropriately for what we self-identifying hackers would use it for. I've become so accustomed to the word being used negatively that it takes a lot of mental effort to notice when it is used in a neutral or positive tone. I still find it fairly annoying that they included the word in the headline, as though to attract more views with a "controversial buzzword". It's true: the word "hacker" has long since been poisoned by the media. They cannot get away with using the term anymore, even with no ill intent. They spent over a decade using the term to rip people and communities apart. The damage is done, and no amount of effort on their part is going to allow them to sound sincere.

suyash 10y ago

We are all hackers at one point of another. Here is one source of the origination of the word http://tmrc.mit.edu/hackers-ref.html http://tmrc.mit.edu/hackers-ref.html

got2surf 10y ago
I agree, and that's a fascinating link. I think that "hacker" can be an accurate/valid description, but also a poor marketing choice at the same time.