But just as hack can sometimes mean cyber crime, hacktivism can be used to mean activism that is malicious, destructive, and undermining the security of the Internet as a technical, economic, and political platform. The word was coined to characterize electronic direct action as working toward social change by combining programming skills with critical thinking.
'Hacktivism' is a controversial term with several meanings. Hacking as a form of activism can be carried out through a network of activists, such as Anonymous and WikiLeaks, or through a singular activist, working in collaboration toward common goals without an overarching authority figure. Freenet, a peer-to-peer platform for censorship-resistant communication, is a prime example of translating political thought and freedom of speech into code.
Hacktivist activities span many political ideals and issues. With roots in hacker culture and hacker ethics, its ends are often related to free speech, human rights, or freedom of information movements. Internet activism, hacktivism, or hactivism (a portmanteau of hack and activism), is the use of computer-based techniques such as hacking as a form of civil disobedience to promote a political agenda or social change.