Chris Peterson

Last summer I posted “In Praise of [Some] DDoSs?”, a quick essay documenting the response gap between DDoS attacks and sit-ins. My argument didn’t equate the two so much as it pointed out that there are some conceptual similarities (in terms of denying access as a form of protest) and vastly different criminal responses.

Thanks to 4chan (first time I have ever uttered that particular phrase) the debate is renewed anew as intellectuals attempt to piece together a coherent theoretical framework for thinking about the Wikileaks Revenge DDoSs.

A few thoughtful posts out there include:

• Nancy Scola’s 10 Ways To Think ABout DDoS Attacks is a good rundown of the various positions.
• Deanna Zandt’s take on the power dynamics of the DDoS
• Ethan Zuckerman’s gentle pushback on the power dynamics argument, noting that what the weak can effectively use against the powerful the powerful can even more effectively use against the weak

Will edit in more as they come to my attention.