hacktivist, n.
Brit. /ˈhaktɪvɪst/, U.S. /ˈhæktəvəst/
[Blend of either hack n.1 or hack v.1 and activist n. Compare slightly later hacktivism n.]
A person who attempts to gain unauthorized access to computer files or networks in order to propagate a social or political message.
| 1995 Village Voice (N.Y.) 27 June 34/1 About 300 queers descended on the park at the behest of a local computer hacktivist. 1999 Sci. Amer. Jan. 13 (caption) Government websites have become the targets of ‘hacktivists’. 2003 J. C. Dvorak et al. Online! xi. 280 You should always be on guard against hoaxes, whether perpetrated by a hacktivist with a cause or a con man with an angle. |