What comes to your mind when you hear the word hacker? Most of
us think hackers are hacking computer security systems to steal
important and confidential information. It is only partially
true, since there are hackers who contribute real solutions to
social problems such as corruption. When we asked participants
of the global Transparency International hackathon that took
place on the first weekend of October who considered themselves
a hacker, many raised their hands, explaining that they did not
see “hacker” as a bad word, and that their role is often
misunderstood. One said, “Wikileaks is a collection of hackers
who disclose hidden information to the public. It helps people
to have access to better information.” Responding to the
“problem statements” presented by seven participants, our
friendly hackers were extremely excited to contribute their
skills to provide a technological platform that would address
corruption problems. He hopes it will rectify public
misperceptions about hackers. The hackers know b