- Cyberactivism within the Sri Lankan context
Whether it’s making donations and signing petitions online, or using social media to highlight political causes, cyberactivism has never been easier. With a few clicks, we can make our voices heard around the globe.
But who’s listening, and is anything actually changing? Does cyberactivism mobilise real-world action on the ground, or does it reduce political engagement to simple mouse-clicking and ultimately threaten the subversive nature of change?
In light of the current situation in the country, many took to social media to spread awareness, start campaigns, ask and receive donations, and create petitions, and – perhaps most interestingly – a group of “hacktivists” by the name of “Anonymous” got on board with Sri Lanka’s calls to bring an end to the current regime.
With that came a flurry of mixed feelings, with some going so far as to tweet them with the hashtag “#AnonymousSaveSriLanka” and others bringing to light the dangers of online hackers, about whom we have little to no information on, entering local websites. Several spoke of potential data theft, digital accounts being compromised, and – most notably – access to several government websites being denied.
Brunch spoke to a few cybersecurity experts to explore the meaning behind cyberactivism, and what Anonymous’ involvement could do to or for our country.
The intricacies of cyberactivism
Putting it simply, Media Analyst Nalaka Gunawardene, stated that cyberactivism is a broad term.
“It refers to the many and varied ways of using internet-based technologies, platforms, and strategies to plan and carry out activism of any kind – social, political, humanitarian, religious, or environmental. By its very nature, the internet allows an individual, group, or organisation to self-express on any topic and self-organise around an issue, cause, or call to action,” he explained.
Talking about the tools used in such operations, Gunawardene informed us that those engaging in cyber activities have a wide and varied range of tools to choose from. Among the more popular, he noted, are social media platforms (such as Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter); instant messaging services (such as WhatsApp, Viber, Imo, Signal, and Telegram); email for direct email campaigns; online petitions (possible at platforms like Change.org, iPetitions.com, and Avvaz.org); and various online fund raising or crowd-funding services.
“All the above are activities that stay within the limits of what is legal and ethical. However, certain kinds of cyberactivism tend to push or breach those limits and are pursued by those who apparently believe that ‘the end justifies the means’,” Gunawardene explained, adding that it is a very debatable standpoint.
On the topic of hacking, we were informed that it comes under the latter category. In and of itself, Gunawardene detailed hacking to be a skill that can help identify vulnerabilities in a device, system, or network and thereby fix it. However, he noted that when hacking is done without getting prior consent and when unauthorised access is made, it crosses the line from legal pursuit to an illegal cybercrime.
Touching on the term “hacktivism” in relation to this, Gunawardene told us that it refers to the use of hacking capabilities to achieve a political goal.
“Hacktivism can be described as a form of civil disobedience to promote a political agenda or social change,” he stated, but added that depending on how far an act of hacktivism goes, the outcome can be highly disruptive for a targeted company, government agency, or a country as a whole.
Who is ‘Anonymous’?
Cyber Security Advisor and Educator Asela Waidyalankara gave us some insight into who Anonymous is, and what they seemingly have in store for Sri Lanka.
“Anonymous is a decentralised international activist and hacktivist collective and movement primarily known for its various cyberattacks against several governments, government institutions and government agencies, corporations, and the Church of Scientology,” Waidyalankara explained, adding that from what he’s gathered through the group’s official Twitter page, Anonymous has launched “#OpSriLanka” against the Government of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Since it was announced, several attacks have been launched on Government websites.
Talking about why this is a concerning factor, he explained: “Since the local e-government system is incredibly fragile and isn’t maintained to an optimum level, once Anonymous gains access to it, it opens up the possibility of certain individuals launching cyber attacks with malicious intentions for their own commercial gain.”
He further added that from the position of a cyber security specialist, he would dub this a bad call on the people’s part, and requested that social media users stop asking Anonymous – or any other “hacktivist” – to help us in our fight.
Personal information at risk
By asking an unknown group to “save us”, Waidyalankara believes that we are basically asking hackers with criminal elements to come intervene in our cybersystems.
Using our e-channeling portals as an example, he detailed how risky it would be for such a website to be compromised, as it could lead to the leaking of extremely confidential information and personal details.
“Just imagine what would happen if your entire patient and channelling history is exposed in a public data dump. For example, if someone is meeting a psychiatrist, they might not want this personal information exposed,” he explained further. With this, further information could also be exposed, like the credit or debit card you use to channel your doctor, he informed us.
Shield up
Gunawardene too, warned that, on the whole, inviting Anonymous to support the #GotaGoHome struggle is fraught with dangers that many political activists or cyber activists in Sri Lanka may not comprehend or imagine.
He shared: “I fully agree with cyber security consultant Asela Waidyalankara. I too believe inviting Anonymous to launch cyber attacks targeting websites of the Government of Sri Lanka is ‘incredibly unwise and unhelpful’, as it may cause harm to the national cyber security resulting in a cost on taxpayer money.”
Although right now, no major issues have occurred due to these cyber attacks, Waidyalankara believes that in the process of these hacks, the repercussions of the events taking place currently will only be seen in the future.
With all this considered, Waidyalankara advised the public who have credentials with the e-Government system to change or update their passwords and login details as soon as possible.
Unfortunately, he told Brunch, if that data is already stored in compromised systems, especially personally identifiable information, hackers may be able to use the same for fraud, manipulation, or even sell them on the dark web for monetary gain.
The question of how far online political activism can go still remains unsolved. Has it the potential to fundamentally change the way democracy operates? Using online activism as a mechanism that brings people together, either physically or virtually, does enable people to participate more fully in the democratic process. It seems hard to believe that the internet revolution won’t be accompanied by new ways of conducting this business called democracy.
