Destructive Activism: The Double-Edged Sword of Digital Tactics

a group of websites in Estonia, including those of media outlets, government ministries, and banks, went oine. For three weeks, these sites were the target of a highly eective attack triggered by the government's controversial decision to move a Soviet war memorial. Similar attacks were experienced in August 2008, targeting Georgian websites during that country's conflict with Russia over the control of South Ossetia. In both cases , the Russian government was initially blamed, but eventually it became clear that " patriotic hackers " (sometimes known has " hacktivists ") were the likely culprits. While the impact of these cyber-attacks was significant, criminal attacks of even greater magnitude were commonplace on the Internet at the time and continue to be a problem. The attacks in Estonia and Georgia, however, distinguish themselves by being motivated by political activism rather than criminal intent. So far this book has viewed the empowerment of citizens through digital means as largely positive. However, the ability of the Internet to share information, coordinate action, and launch transnational campaigns can also be used for destructive ends.