NPR

An Anarchist Explains How Hackers Could Cause Global Chaos

On the TV show Mr. Robot, the lead character is a hacker who breaks into computer systems to promote a cause. Real-life hacktivist Barrett Brown served time for being part of Anonymous.
Source: Jenn Liv for NPR

Artists and criminals are often the first to push the boundaries of technology. Barrett Brown is a criminal who has actually helped inspire art — the TV show Mr. Robot. Its protagonist is a hacktivist — a hacker who breaks into computer systems to promote a cause.

Brown served time for being part of Anonymous, a group that hacked a private security firm to reveal secrets. He is now out and living in a halfway house in Dallas.

He had spent years in a prison cell thinking about what he might do when he got out. And he says he is ready to change, so next time he gets involved in hacking a corporation he is able to inflict maximum damage.

"Certainly, I haven't

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