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Glite Dictionary
💻 A protest hacker 💻 Related to protest hacking
hacktivist

hacktivist

7.3
Relating to actions that use computers to attack or expose websites to support political and social causes
  • adjective
  • /ˈhæktɪvɪst/
  • Literature
translation icon : hacktivista
  • In response to threats by the Israeli government to cut off the inhabitants of Gaza from the Internet, the 'hacktivist' collective began taking down Israeli websites Thursday.

Examples

  • The hacktivist group organized cyber attacks to protest against government surveillance.

  • My hacktivist best friend, Eliza.

    Z-O-M-B-I-E-S 3 (2022)

  • Following the latest data breach, the hacktivist community rallied to support those affected.

  • They used hacktivist tactics to raise awareness for social justice issues online.

Surface Forms

hacktivist positive

Morphology

hacktivist = hack + activist (transparent) = hack + activist

Adjectival use derived from the blended compound 'hacktivist' (hack + activist) and is predictable in meaning.

Etymology

Hacktivist as an adjective comes from the same parts hack 'to break into or change computer systems' and activist 'someone who works for a political or social cause'. That is why hacktivist describes actions, groups, or campaigns that use hacking to support a cause online.