Free Essay About How The Definition Of Hacking Has Changed Over The Last 40 Years

How The Definition of Hacking has changed over The Last 40 Years

Forty years ago today would have been the year 1975 and the definition of most things have changed and adapted to new meanings today. One of those words is the word hacker which has come to mean almost the opposite of what it did in 1975. The word hacker was originally able to define different things like chopping wood or horseback riding. When it was introduced in the 1960s and heard of in academies with some access to early computer technology, it became associated with students and things they did on their computers. Associates with some of these students started to use the term “hack” for defining a fast and not pretty fix to a problem or an amazing and pretty fix. Others even used the word for a carefully plotted and carried out prank that was deserving of recognition, like if one person was to say in today’s terms get onto your phone and post something silly on your Facebook. Last and the start of what a hacker is known as today the term was used to describe groups of people who worked with computers or programming computers. What these people did was considered hacks hence the term hackers to describe a group of them. Around the 1980s the word hacker made a turnaround and became associated with criminals making it a new term that many people would recognize today. Now a hacker is described as a person who is criminal with technology and uses the computer or internet to break into other people’s personal information or computers. Many modern hackers are responsible for viruses that infect others computers or even make it possible to access another person’s information including their identity. Some hacker’s access government systems to find out information that they think should be public knowledge. These hackers may feel that they did not do anything criminal or deviant because they are under the impression that they are doing something for the greater good. Unfortunately no matter how good their intentions may be any person that illegally accesses another’s information is breaking the law. (KARMAN and Dennis).

References

KARMAN, unknown, and Dennis. 'What Is A Hacker?'. Hack.org. N.p., 2014. Web. 13 Feb. 2015.