Electronic Civil Disobedience for Oaxaca

October 30, 2006 6:31 PM

Electronic Blockade of Mexican Government: Hactivism and Oaxaca; The Electronic Disturbance Theatre, founded by Ricardo Dominguez has organized a virtual sit-in of Mexican embassy and consulate websites. [More Inside]
posted by jrb223 (7 comments total)

Dominguez has received some threatening phone calls as a result.

Coco Fusco interviews Ricardo Dominguez

(Coco Fusco)
posted by jrb223 at 6:32 PM on October 30, 2006

virtual sit-in virtually effective.
posted by BrodieShadeTree at 7:50 PM on October 30, 2006

So this is a denial of service attack?

I feel like this action differs from a traditional denial of service attack insofar as for it to effectively deny service, it requires the participation of large amounts of the public. Traffic to the Mexican embassy sites will only by affected if many people load up the Electronic Disturbance Theatre's website. Like a sit-in, it is the number of individuals involved that results in a blockade of the target. In this way, it is not a single agitator shutting down dialogue, but rather many people voicing their displeasure with a given policy. Of course, unlike a traditional sit-in the people participating in this one aren't exactly visible, and that lack of visibility can undercut the action's effectiveness. I worry, given the gravity of the situation in Oaxaca, that BrodieShadeTree's glib response is very much on the mark.
posted by jrb223 at 8:33 PM on October 30, 2006

ok... so my italicized bit is quoting a comment that has been deleted... just sayin that so I don't look schizophrenic.... oh don't you, Jim? ...No I don't. ...sure...
posted by jrb223 at 8:40 PM on October 30, 2006

I dunno about the value of EDT's strategy, honestly, but I do know that the more I read about the governor of Oaxaca and his use of police as his personal militia, the more I want the protestors to hold out, and the more furious I get at the . Reporters Without Borders has more about the three suspects in the murder of Indymedia journalist Brad Will; of course, they're all security officials, and journalists have been a favorite target for a while now.
posted by mediareport at 9:20 PM on October 30, 2006

Er..."and the more furious I get at the federal response targeting them rather than the governor."
posted by mediareport at 9:21 PM on October 30, 2006

I wonder when powerful interests threatened by this sort of action start collecting IP addresses and retaliating against anyone who participates. If they're willing to kill people, they're certainly willing to screw up a couple thousand people's internet connection. Of course, I see large companies having more to lose with this kind of action than governments. Who cares if you can't access a corrupt regime's website. They probably don't. But interupting commerce? That gets people's attention.
posted by cal71 at 4:56 AM on October 31, 2006