Inside the life of a hacker and cybercrime culture.
Public discourse, from pop culture to political rhetoric, portrays
hackers as deceptive, digital villains. But what do we actually know
about them?
In Hacked, Kevin F. Steinmetz explores what it means to be a hacker and
the nuances of hacker culture. Through extensive interviews with
hackers, observations of hacker communities, and analyses of hacker
cultural products, Steinmetz demystifies the figure of the hacker and
situates the practice of hacking within the larger political and
economic structures of capitalism, crime, and control.This captivating
book challenges many of the common narratives of hackers, suggesting
that not all forms of hacking are criminal and, contrary to popular
opinion, the broader hacker community actually plays a vital role in our
information economy. Hacked thus explores how governments, corporations,
and other institutions attempt to manage hacker culture through the
creation of ideologies and laws that protect powerful economic
interests. Not content to simply critique the situation, Steinmetz ends
his work by providing actionable policy recommendations that aim to
redirect the focus from the individual to corporations, governments, and
broader social issues.
A compelling study, Hacked helps us understand not just the figure of
the hacker, but also digital crime and social control in our high-tech
society.
