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The notion of a hacker in nowadays is operated by the mass-media only when a person brakes security standards or steals information by using a regular PC. However there are person with similar abilities but who work for Government agencies. There have been some several incidents in the past years when hackers that were caught practicing illegal activities were given top-paid jobs in the same companies or institutes that were its victims not long ago.

Hackers were present there were access to information was forbidden, like in the communist China or Republic of Moldova (Europe). These people could get to the truth by their means, and spread the word to the oppressed masses.

Some companies even pay them to attack their systems just to understand and identify what security problems they might face.

But in the recent years the hackers world has transformed in an informational world and wars. Just let us remember the Georgia-Russia conflict.
So after all these arguments how would you still qualify this sort of activity?

I heard of a case when a hacker was hired by a government to work for it, when they discovered he broke their security system. So, hackers can do both things at the same time - good and bad, without making anyone suspect them of something.

This year (I think in May), a Chilean hacker has broken the government data only to prove to the public that it's weak and vulnerable.

It would be great if all hackers direct their knowledge to good purpose. Do you imagine how fast would certain transactions be made if hackers replaced typical bank workers...

I think that hackers can be important for the freedom of expression. When they don't act as mercenaries for goverments or corportations.

In general I would certainly say bad. I appreciate the sentiment though in that hackers can show us the flaws in certain things and help us to improve them. I would rather have a friendly hacker hack a government website than a hacker who intends to do malicious things for sure.

Hackers are good as well as bad, it depends upon the circumstances.I will prove my words by one simple example, If hacker work for intelligence agency of your country and fought against enemies of your country or culprits by help of technology then hacker is a good man but if the hacker work for criminal elements then surely hacker is a bad man.

jack705 wrote:Hackers are good as well as bad, it depends upon the circumstances.I will prove my words by one simple example, If hacker work for intelligence agency of your country and fought against enemies of your country or culprits by help of technology then hacker is a good man but if the hacker work for criminal elements then surely hacker is a bad man.

Sometimes the question is who is the culprit...

This is a common ethical question. It just depends on which side your on. Wikileaks = bad for The State and good = for The People. Same for everything else.

i personally love hackers. I think they are useful and will probaby be the only people able to fight against those horrible governements and big brothers.
they can infiltrate confidential computers and get some information we would normally not be able to get.