Cyberethics

ok so since we have a computer section I thought it was about time to discuss the finer points of cyber ethics, as a white hat hacker I can but don't hack maliciously, instead I fight on the behalf of users, by studying viruses and helping others combat them.

I also share information I obtain and fight for the freedom of information.

there are all kinds of things to consider in the world of cyberspace, I wish you luck in figuring out where you stand cyberethically until then, discuss your views on the subject!

ok well lets take an example to get the ball rolling, when it comes to hacking you have really choose which side your on and what is your Point Of View, for instance some people are white hat but are cyber vigilantes, others choose to fight things from a distance and help the group by testing fixing bugs in programs, others just want to be destructive and laugh at another' persons expense... finally there are the organized cyber criminals, they do the things you hear about in the news and movies, such as hacking banks, stealing Identities and personal information ect...

now lets say you stumbled onto a web server that was being used to store stolen data... you could A report it and wait for something to get done, B do nothing, or C take it down and send messages to the people who's data was stolen... the last one carries the risk of retaliation, attacks from the organization, attacks from the law, but it is also the most effective in sending a message.

now I know many people think that stealing peoples email ect... is hacking but most of that stuff is small potatoes to whats really going on across the aetherspace, so the question becomes when is it OK to hack, Legally? NEVER, morally? depends on the situation and what side your on.

I would appreciate some input from other users on this