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DDOS attempts that utillize illegal botnets are, well, illegal. As such, they are by definition not a legitimate form of protest.


A revolution doesn't ask from a permit for a city hall. Seriously, I have seen many demos banned arbitrarily for the lack of a "permit".


>A revolution doesn't ask from a permit for a city hall.

One of the best quotes ever!


If it is a revolution, then it is by definition illegal, and by univocation, illegitimate. It may be the 'right' thing to do, but it is not 'legitimate.'


legitimate != legal

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legitimacy_(political)

legitimate protest vs. legal protest are very very different things.


That may be true, but is THIS an illegal botnet? What makes LOIC illegal? What makes a determined, coordinated request from thousands of volunteer computers illegal? I liken this to a civil disobedience sit in.


Without commenting on the morality of LOIC, what makes its current use illegal are laws, passed by legislatures.

Pick a jurisdiction and you'll find some law forbidding DDOS attacks. Here for example:

http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nsw/consol_act/ca190082/s...

That section would cover anyone from NSW participating in this botnet and could be used to prosecute this guy if they find him:

http://www.smh.com.au/technology/security/the-aussie-who-bli...


A DDoS is nothing like a sit in. Its more like forming a human chain around the restaurant.

The crux of civil disobedience is that moral men have a duty to break unjust laws. This is not civil disobedience.


LOIC itself isn't illegal but causing a DDoS is, however you achieve it.


There's an assumption there that "illegal == illegitimate". I don't believe that is true. No more true than "legal == legitimate".


Please look up words in a dictionary before you correct people on their meaning, you will seem like less of a fool for doing so. Legitimate and legal are synonyms.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/legitimate


Sigh. Did you even read the link you posted? Yes, one of the definitions has to do with laws, but there are plenty of other meanings that don't have anything to do with legailty. Eg: "not spurious or unjustified; genuine"



You know what is "illegitimate" is for a service that is a virtual "utility" do cut off service for political reasons. Imagine someone would cut off your electricity if they think your ideas a dangerous.


Most of the people at Anonymous run the DOS attacks on their own computers, not through botnets.

I'm sure there are some script kiddies with botnets there, but I don't think the average Anonymous/4Chan member has one.


> illegal == illegitimate form of protest

I'm having some great laughs at everyone here on HN that has never have read a bit about the history of protest movements and labor unions in the US.


The only legitimate forms of protest are the ones that will never work.




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