Cult of the Dead Cow
Joseph Menn in his “Cult of the Dead Cow” writes the tale of the oldest, most respected, and most famous American hacking group of all time. Although this group is not well known and does not appear often in the news, some of its members have become famous. Some of them invented the concept of activism, others released the top tool for testing password security and created what was for years the best technique for controlling computers from afar and forcing giant companies to work harder to protect customers. Others of them contributed to the development of Tor, the most important privacy tool on the net, and helped build cyberweapons that advanced US security without injuring anyone. The origins of the group are in the earliest days of the Internet and the group is full of oddball characters, activists, artists, even future politicians. Many of these hackers have become top executives and advisors walking the corridors of power in Washington and Silicon Valley. One of the most famous, Beto O’Rourke, is former Texas Congressman and current presidential candidate whose time in the cDc set him up to found a tech business, launch an alternative publication in El Paso, and make long-shot bets on unconventional campaigns. The book narrates many little-known hacking episodes that had immense importance in the history of computing and the internet from its origins until today and shows us how today the Cult of the Dead Cow is battling electoral misinformation, making personal data safer, and battling to keep technology a force for good instead of for surveillance and oppression. Thr Cult of the Dead Cow shows how governments, corporations, and criminals came to hold immense power over individuals and how we can fight back against them. This book is definitely an interesting reading that testifies to the importance of the hacker movement in the history of past and present technology by narrating little-known episodes that enrich the historical knowledge of the group.