ElReg debate results: don't use word 'hacker' when you mean 'criminal'

theregister.com

3 pointsmfontani2 comments

This past week The Register ran a "debate", with one article "for" the motion, and one "against" it.

The topic was the use of the word "hacker".

I found the results of the readers' poll quite interesting, as most are in favour of NOT associating the word "hacker" with a criminal connotation, unlike what seems to be the use of the word in other media and contexts.

Linus avoids describing himself as a hacker. He prefers to use the word programmer when speaking to journalists. The problem is the word has been hijacked to mean something different by most media.

In risk assessments the term ‘criminal hacker’ is often used to avoid ambiguity.

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