When people think of hackers, they usually think of a lone wolf acting with the intent to garner personal data for identity theft and fraud. But what about the corporations and government entities that use hacking as a strategy for managing risk? Why Hackers Win asks the pivotal question of how and why the instrumental uses of invasive software by corporations and government agencies contribute to social change. Through a critical communication and media studies lens, the book focuses on the struggles of breaking and defending the “trusted systems” underlying our everyday use of technology. It compares the United States and the European Union, exploring how cybersecurity and hacking accelerate each other in digital capitalism, and how the competitive advantage that hackers can provide corporations and governments may actually afford new venues for commodity development and exchange. Presenting prominent case studies of communication law and policy, corporate hacks, and key players in the global cybersecurity market, the book proposes a political economic model of new markets for software vulnerabilities and exploits, and clearly illustrates the social functions of hacking.
Author(s): Patrick Burkart, Tom McCourt
Edition: 1
Publisher: University Of California Press
Year: 2019
Language: English
Commentary: TruePDF | TOC
Pages: 220
Tags: Hackers; Hacking: Political Aspects; Case Studies; Computer Security: Law And Legislation: United States; Human Rights; Computer Automation
Cover
Half title
Title
Copyright
Dedication
Contents
Illustrations
Preface
Acknowledgments
1 | On the Structures and Functions of Hacking
2 | Hacking and Risk to Systems
3 | The Political Economy of the Hack
4 | Antihacking Law and Policy
5 | Activism beyond Hacktivism
Notes
References
Index