Client-Side Distributed Denial-of-Service: Valid Campaign Tactic or Terrorist Act?

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The following article is one of several we will be publishing on an occasional basis that help shed light on some of the important issues raised by the burgeoning Internet.

And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house a house of merchandise.

--John 2:14

Recent actions on the Internet against e-commerce sites are not a matter of pleasure-seeking by bored computer nerds. They represent a fundamental disagreement about the purposes of the Internet, and the increasing emphasis on the use of the 'Net as a vehicle for profitable trade rather than of knowledge and discussion. As Jesus ransacked the temple in Jerusalem because it had become a house of merchandise, so the recent attacks on e-commerce web sites are a protest against the manner of its recent development. But, do we label Jesus as a terrorist? Those involved probably have a reverential view of the 'Net. The public space that the 'Net represents is being promoted as a marketplace for large corporate interests, and many of those who use the 'Net for other purposes are dissatisfied with this.

In recent weeks, there has been much discussion about "denial-of-service" (DoS) actions against certain e-commerce web sites. Whilst the Internet was originally a place of discussion and networking, the invasion of corporate interests into this space has changed the perceptions of what the purpose of the Internet is. Some believe that the Internet is no longer a "public" space--it has become a domain for the large corporations to peddle their particular brand of unsustainable consumerism. For many this is unacceptable. The increasing emphasis on control, driven by the needs of increasing commerce on the 'Net, is also seen by many as threatening the more philanthropic basis of the 'Net's original use.

Whatever the views of particular people about the development of e-commerce on the 'Net, we must not ignore the fact that as another part of society's public space the Internet will be used by groups and individuals as a means of protests. There is no practical difference between cyberspace and the street in terms of how people use the 'Net. What is disconcerting is the response of governments and e-commerce lobbyists to the recent DoS attacks. They are being viewed as an act of terrorism. Now the regulatory agenda in many countries has shifted from expanding the Internet, to controlling the purposes that the 'Net may be used for to restrict certain types of activity. Whilst the Yahoo, eBay and Amazon actions were undoubtedly illegal because of the cracking and modification of other computer systems to launch the action, the backlash against these actions is likely to stifle public debate about the use of the 'Net for protest. It will also criminalise those who seek to use the Internet as a means of extending protest against the corporate forces who now seek to make cyberspace their own.

the electrohippies collective has produced this paper as a means of promoting a debate about denial-of-service actions, and whether...