Should Hack-a-Thon Even be Legal?
Hack-a-thon has started to become a new craze and it is a bit like a rock-a-thon or a bowl-a-thon. Basically, it is the hacker version of any charity event that has a group of people doing something for a very long time. With a bowl-a-thon groups will bowl all night or day long to raise money with sponsors that pledge to pay a certain amount per minute, hour, or pin.
The a-thons have been around for quite some time and are a great way to have fun while raising money for a charitable organization. Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, 4-H clubs, schools, and many other groups have put them on to raise money for their own organization or for another charity, they support. They are popular and can be loads of fun when done properly.
However, the idea of a hack-a-thon is a scary thing. This is a group of computer hackers that get together to code something that is supposed to be really amazing. It is a bit like if all the bank robbers of the world were to get together and have a rob-a-thon. Do we really need a convention for hackers?
Hack-a-Thon – Hack for a Cause
Usually the hackers will get together and drink large quantities of Red Bull while they are creating something that has never been created before. It is always for charity, but should we, as a society, be encouraging this? It seems like the local police could show up and arrest everybody participating simply because they are criminals.
Have you ever had your computer, website, blog, Facebook page, or email hacked into? It is not a fun situation to be in, and now we are supporting the Hack-a-Thon for charity. It seems a bit silly that a criminal activity could be used for charity. Have you ever heard of a bank being robbed for a charity and everybody being just fine with that?
These hackers spend numerous hours creating new products that are usually ready to ship right after the event. Facebook has hosted at least one of these events with it benefiting the Free the Children charity. Even with this being for such a great cause it seems strange to allow hackers to get together like this.
They do have rules for these events, which are quite simple. They have to come up with some products to benefit the charity and they have to engage in positive actions. This is all well and good, but what about the downtime where the guy that hacked into your computer last week is learning a new trick to keep you from finding out this time?
Hack-a-Thon is Not Right
Typically, an opinion is not voiced on this site, but it cannot be left alone. We have all been hacked into or downloaded a virus because of something we did online. It is no fun to go through this and there is no reason that the delinquents of the internet society should be able to get together for charity.
If those attending the Hack-a-Thon are not criminals and are not hacking into personal and business computers, websites, emails, and such, then this would not be an issue. It could be called a Code-a-Thon instead and it could be a group of brilliant coders putting together the products, but not a Hack-a-Thon.
Tags: coding, free the children, hack a tho, hack for a cause, hack-a-thon, hackathon, hacking