Socially Motivated

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Social motives are based on rectifying the inequality of social injustices that an organization has done or is perceived to have done. Cyber-activism is growing rapidly , using the anonymity of computer networks to release information about the organizations alleged activities, to cause damage to an organization, or to disrupt the organization's activities.

Cyber-activism

Using the cyberspace to perform acts of electronic civil disobedience has become a popular method of activism. Hacktivism, as it has become popularly known, offers a level of personal anonymity to those who perform the acts and an outlet where media coverage can be widespread.

Activists use website vandalism to bring attention to their cause and denial-of-service attacks to disrupt the activities of their targets.

An environmental campaign group has "hijacked" the URL of Treasury Holdings, after the Irish property group forgot to renew the domain name .

The domain name TreasuryHoldings.com is now directed to the home page of LuskPeople.com, a group of activists which is lobbying against plans by Treasury Holdings to build a waste incinerator in Lusk, north county Dublin. The group obtained the URL by the simplest method of all: buying it for $37.

LuskPeople conducted its coup against Treasury Holdings yesterday , on the day of the Irish general election. In a press release, the pressure group quotes an anonymous Treasury employee: "We didn't know the name had lapsed. We want our name back." ^[21]

^[21] Cullen, Drew, "Campaigners ' Hijack ' Treasury Holdings URL," The Register , 19 May 2002.

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