Climate Activists Defend Spreading Computer Malware to Educate Skeptics
Essay by Eric Worrall
It started a month ago, when a group of climate activists invited kids to deceive climate skeptic family members into downloading malware disguised as a cookie recipe.
First published JoNova;
Climate Skepticism Is Increasing – What If We Could Hack Our Way Out Of That?
Two terrible things have happened: the world has entered the ‘global boiling’ phase of climate emergency; and climate skepticism has increased in the past four years, worldwide. Australia is the sixth most skeptical country in the world (following Saudi Arabia, Norway, Russia, USA and the United Arab Emirates). When I tell you I was shocked to read those stats… in the passionate, optimistic bubble that is the Zee Feed audience, it can feel easy to ignore the climate deniers, delay-ers or skeptics as a vocal minority. Trouble is, that cohort of voices, the way they are supported by media and the mechanics of social algorithms are big reasons why policy progress is so. damn. slow.
The survey reveals a huge 42% of Australians are climate skeptics – so chances are you know someone who thinks this way. We can’t let this group get any bigger… which is why Zee Feed and the Australian Youth Climate Coalition is asking you to help us cheekily and sneakily change their minds with NewsJacker.
Why did you say… sneaky?
Even though you probably know a skeptic, having a direct conversation with them is not that simple. Only 31% of young Australians (10-24) feel their parents are consistently listening to their concerns on the topic.
…
Climate skeptics are victims of a misinformation echo chamber. NewsJacker is an attempt to hack them out of it, without them even noticing!
NewsJacker is a cheeky website which covertly increases your climate skeptic’s exposure to more factually accurate news. On the surface, it will look like you’re simply sharing an online recipe for easy homemade cookies. But when they visit the link, specially designed technology built into the site updates their online cookies… now telling The Internet that they are seriously pro-climate action. Because of this, as they browse they will see more search results for accurate climate change stories and be targeted by more pro-climate ads and content.
…
Read more: https://zeefeed.com.au/climate-skepticism-australia-newsjacker/
This brazen act of computer hacking attracted criticism;
Malware Is Not Ok, No Matter Your Cause
Climate activists think distributing malware is “clever”
by Lushington D. Brady 29 September, 2023 11:30 am
If you think it’s a clever idea to send out a malware bot as a major recruitment campaign and still barely manage to suck in more than a couple of thousand confused Boomers, you just might be a “youth climate activist”.
The “clever” online campaign was the brainchild of the “Australian Youth Climate Coalition” — who are about as youthful as a middle-aged porn actress putting her hair in pigtails and claiming to be a “teen”. Although at least the porn actress is making an honest living.
…
Like all criminals, the climate con artists think their ends justify their dodgy means.
Grace Vegesana, AYCC’s director of climate & racial Justice, told The Australian that for young Australians, “climate change was the biggest fight of our lives – so we aren’t afraid to get creative in how we take action”.
“Ultimately, we’re taking action to create a fair and just world, with a stable climate and healthy environment for our communities and future generations – and don’t mind being a bit cheeky in the process,” she said.
…
Read more: https://thebfd.co.nz/2023/09/29/malware-is-not-ok-no-matter-your-cause/
The “youths” have apparently defended their actions, on the grounds that they are not attempting to harm the targets of their deception, but all the stories I found mentioning this are behind paywalls.
Doesn’t this kind of desperation just scream “loser”?
The climate panic is dying. The climate panic is no longer useful to scoundrels who use such public panics as props to decieve voters, so it is just not getting the attention it once did. These days the only people who take the climate panic seriously are people who already intended to vote for the scoundrels.
But for a handful of true believers, this general collapse in interest, even amongst politicians they once thought were reliable supporters, spells the literal end of the world. People just don’t care that everything is collapsing!
I guess we can all look forward to a few years of increasingly frantic activism like this attempt to spread malware, if not violence and outright terrorism, during the final death throes of the climate scare.
Source: What's Up With That
Posts
