The Dark Visitor

Sign above the internet cafe reads “Hacker Tribe.”

No, this is not my new shtick. You will not be burdened with a building a day that has the Chinese characters for  hacker attached to it…unless, it becomes a really popular feature on the blog. OK, so it won’t.

Two things to point out here, one the ad for the internet cafe and the other a comment on the place:

1. The internet cafe does not have a website…repeat, the INTERNET cafe does not have a website
2. Commenter: Who knows Hacker Tribe’s IP address?  Who chose this name? Aren’t they worried about getting attacked?

From an article in the China Philantrophy Times, which falls under the PRC Bureau of Civil Administration, discussing justice and fundamental ethics.  The article touches on immorality and the difference between “legally illiterate” and those who intentionally break the law.  One of the examples they use are Chinese hackers:

Recently, a Xinhua News article reported that due to young people’s worship of hacker technology and the pursuit of “illegal money (making money from hacking),” the country now has a large number of hacker websites that conduct training in hacker technology and supply free hacker tool downloads, which has constantly lowered the hacker threshold (made it easier to become a hacker). Now there are many hackers who are bringing up other hackers.  They master some insignificant skills in order to bully normal web users, as well as small and medium size websites.

Fang Binxing, a scholar at the Chinese Academy of Engineering, believes that the main reason Chinese hackers are increasing in number is due to the spread of hacker tools.

The technology expert’s argument of course makes a certain amount of sense but only on a technical level.   The basic reason is that many of these people who study, develop and use hacker technology don’t feel it is
wrong.  Their hearts have already been blinded (immoral), it is as if they are like robotic assassins.  It is only the technology that motivates them, they are only driven by benefit/profit (fun is also a form of benefit) that provides them their power.

Now to be fair and to take this example of hackers in the total context of the article, it is saying that here is case where
the youth have failed to see the difference between right and wrong. They know difference between the two in their hearts but the pursuit of fame, riches and power has led them to behave in an immoral manner. However, it does point out certain things we need to take note of:

1.  The government is aware of the Chinese hacker community but does not control it
2.  This is a warning from the government to the Chinese hackers that things are getting out of hand
3.  These are not the actions of patriots, it is now bordering on criminal activity

The full article in Chinese is here…