The Hacktivists – study guide - FRAW

tLAPTOPS TO THE FRONTLINE: Nart Villeneuve BRAVES THE TEARGAS ON THE STREETS OF QUEBEC TO CHAT ON-LINE TO FELLOW‘HACKTIVISTS’ ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PLANET [ABOVE]ISSUE 29 AUSTRALIAN SCREEN EDUCATION2SYNOPSISTHE HACKTIVISTS IS A ONE HOUR DOCUMEN-TARY THAT EXPLORES THE WORLD OF ON-LINEACTIVISTS. THESE ARE COMPUTER EXPERTS WHOARE USING THE INTERNET AND CYBERSPACEAS VERY EFFECTIVE, NEW MEANS OF PROTESTAGAINST GLOBAL CAPITALISM AND THE POWEROF LARGE TRANSNATIONAL COMPANIES. WE MEETFOUR MAIN CHARACTERS: NART VILLENEUVE, ACANADIAN, RENAUD COURVOISIER, A FRENCH-MAN, PAUL MOBBS FROM THE UK AND RICARDODOMINGUEZ FROM THE USA. EACH HAS DIFFER-ENT SKILLS AND WAYS OF OPERATING BUT THEINTERNET ALLOWS THEM TO POOL THEIR TALENTSAND WORK COLLABORATIVELY ON-LINE TO CHAL-LENGE GOVERNMENTSAND CORPORATIONS.DEPENDING ON YOURPOINT OF VIEW, YOUMAY SEE THEM AS‘INTERNET WARRIORS’TRYING TO SAVE THEWORLD, AS ‘CYBER-TERRORISTS’ OUT TO BREAK THE LAW, OR ASFOOLISH ‘GEEKBOYS’ CAUSING DIGITAL MISCHIEFFROM THE SAFETY OF THEIR HOMES.The documentary also looks at theiropponents in what the documentarycalls an ‘information war’. The growthin web-based activism has also createdan industry devoted to opposing them.‘Cybersleuths’ such as Ben Venzkemake a lot of money by protectingcompanies from cyber attack, scouringthe web for evidence of intendedaction. It raises questions as to whatkind of globalisation we want, whatdemocracy means in a digital age andwhat power and responsibilities wehave as citizens in this time of rapidchange.The Hacktivists is the first of aplanned trilogy of films about TheInformation War. The second will beThe Dreamweavers, looking at thetactics of corporate advertising andtheir battle for consumers’ attentionand the third will be The CultureJammers, examining the artists whouse their art skills to try to keep themedia honest by re-arranging mediamessages and reflecting them back tothose who make them.