A collective of anti-fascist Israeli hackers have broken into a website of a group allied to the white-supremacist Ku Klux Klan (KKK). The hackers subsequently published names, photos and other personal information about members of the Patriotic Brigade Knights, which they had scraped, on social media. They also replaced some of the site’s content with their own. This included a banner saying: “Shabbat Shalom! Goodnight white pride.” The hackers told the Jerusalem Post newspaper they were part of the Antifa movement, operating under the name Hayalim Almoni, Hebrew for Anonymous Soldiers.
More information: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-55937133
<p>While many people will applaud the takedown of fascist or extremist groups of any kind and exposing its members. We cannot overlook the fact that it was an unauthorised and illegal hack and therefore cannot condone it. </p> <p> </p> <p>Additionally, whenever anyone\’s personal information is leaked, it can lead to real-world consequences – and in the case of mistaken identity, could lead to innocent people being harassed or worse.</p>
<p>While anyone\’s first impulse would be to praise this hack as a strike against racism, observers shouldn\’t be so quick to view these hackers as heroes. Despite the horrible beliefs held by the KKK and other organizations of their ilk, online privacy is not just for those that we agree with, but for everyone. Publishing the personal information of anyone is wrong, and is a violation of their privacy, no matter how despicable they may be.</p>
<p>It\’s easy to get caught up in schadenfreude whenever anything bad happens to the KKK, but I would caution against treating these hackers as heroes. Even though I strongly disagree with pretty much everything the KKK does and stands for, I don\’t think outing members through use of force so they can be named and shamed is the right way to go about it. No matter what nonsense you believe in, everyone deserves privacy and safe spaces. Aside from the hack presumably being illegal, it also invites retaliation, which leads to escalation of conflict.</p>