I’ve seen recently some weird speculations on motive of a hacker. Personally I prefer to focus on consequence because that defines our control options best. I learned to make this switch while studying the history of Vietnam War and seeking motives.(1) What motivated American leaders to kill so many people? Try reading “Advice for Soldiers in Vietnam: The Fish is Good”
…young, uneducated soldiers…had to be told why they were going to Vietnam, from which, after all, they might not return. “It is interesting, that the [US Department of Defense guide for soldiers] accurately and briefly describes the history of the Vietnamese resisting outsiders—the Chinese and others—while assuming that we could never be cast in this light.” To do this required telling some of the same lies that the government was telling the public and, for the most part, telling itself.
It’s basically impossible to clarify motive in this sort of context, whereas understanding the consequences is comparatively easy and can greatly affect motives in future: outsiders faced resistance. So time spent studying history really was learning to distill accurate consequences from action to help inform future paths; avoid predictable mistakes.
But still I understand that discussion of motive is attractive to many and there’s some merit to getting lost in speculation so here’s mine:
As I’ve said before I believe everyone is a hacker. In brief it seems to me to be a condition of economics and politics, laced with philosophy. If you find an obstacle in your path then hacking is a way to work around or even through resistance instead of using more direct methods. The asymmetry, disobedience to routine or expectation, is what I find at the foundation of hacking.
Theories of hacker motive that settle on addiction or male sexual fantasy as foundations have mistaken a small tree for the entire forest; symptoms such as these are woefully lacking in perspective.
Let us take as assumption that given a choice humans tend to go a path of lesser resistance. The more privilege or authority one has the more choices of low resistance, and less cause for a hack to get around resistance spots. Having total control therefore means the least hack incentives. Got root? Whereas, having the least control options for a desired changes brings highest incentive to start hacking.
Why would the an intelligence agency hack? They calculate a path to greater control for less cost (including blowback) than other options. Why would the activist hack? They calculate a path to greater justice for less cost than other options.
Perhaps I can explain using a counter-example. Addiction makes no logical sense to me as THE hacker motive. It is just one shade or flavor. The word addict comes from latin addictus, which means a person enslaved as a consequence of debt or crime.
Imagine a child abandoned by parents, or bullied by older schoolmates, and you have someone with potential incentive to see asymmetry as a best option against the obstacles in the way of their personal success. Tempting as it might be to describe them as addicts; it is false to assume use of asymmetric methods to overcome would lead to a form of slavery. They are not addicts if a control level they seek through resource-constrained methods is reasonable and achievable.
The addiction theory says hackers want more control because they are addicted to more control. This sounds like an administrator, not a hacker. You want more control? You get a job that gives you more control, and a promotion to more control, and another one. Hacking not required. Should we call a promoted system administrator an addict because increased authority achieved and desired? If they can choose to exit of free will, no. Addiction is a way to describe those with a high exit barrier/cost.
Moreover a tautology such as “want more power because power is wanted” should have been shot-down in the very first presentation review-cycle. Addiction to growth of power is separate from and does not pre-suppose any need for hacking because not-hacking (following procedures) also can end in the same place of more power. Obviously if one wanted to amass power and be enslaved by it (e.g. run a debt and be unable to pay) hacking still is not necessary, so it is hard to see it as THE logical justification to hack.
An asymmetry theory even explains away the (incredibly vapid) accusation that “penetration testing” could be a manifestation of man’s desire to stick their penis into everything. Hopefully I don’t have to explain why a male-only theory of motivation fails at first blush. Let it suffice to say people without a penis also see penetration opportunity to gain entry where they aren’t authorized. The risks of unauthorized entry is a much broader subject (i.e. women stealing) than just men being dicks.
Let’s face it, hacking is really about power, which brings me to think of it in terms of economics, politics and philosophy. Psychology may help study why a child abandoned by a parent feels transfer power and needs to react in a non-standard way. I don’t think that will really explain when and how authority, or let’s just call it privilege, will have to deal with those who learn and engage with asymmetry rather than sit bored because symmetry is a pipe dream. And hacking therefore also is not always bad. Asymmetric approaches can be known by their more common labels of innovation or creativity.
The question people really should be answering is when is it ethical to innovate or use creativity instead of following routines.
(1) John Stuart Mill, Utilitarianism (London: Parker, Son and Bourn, 1863), page 26-27, argued good behavior comes from questionable intentions so best to ignore and focus on outcome.