The Hacker Wars

Adopting the label hacktivist—a hacker who uses obtained information for political or activist causes—three young men set out to challenge the future of freedom and privacy on the internet. Operating on the edge of legality and morality, their actions soon bring them into direct conflict with the US government, exposing them to aggressive prosecution, FBI scrutiny, and, in some cases, life-altering prison sentences.

The three hacktivists at the centre of The Hacker Wars are Barrett Brown, Jeremy Hammond, and Andrew Aurenheimer. Barrett Brown, a former journalist turned activist, becomes involved with Anonymous, a decentralised collective of hacktivists. Jeremy Hammond, known online as Anarchaos, carries out high-profile cyber attacks and begins a decade-long prison sentence after being removed from the FBI’s Most Wanted list. Andrew Aurenheimer, who operates under the alias “weev,” targets corporations he believes abuse power and personal data.

The Hacker Wars reveals the hacktivist movement from the inside, offering a raw and confrontational look at the motivations, consequences, and ethical dilemmas faced by those willing to risk everything in the name of digital freedom.