In July 1999, the electrohippies first came together to consider how online activism could be promoted to counter the 'dot.com' take-over of cyberspace. Three years on, with the collapse of the fully commercialised Internet, the electrohippie collective have taken the decision to break the centralised co-ordination of their activities. The members of the group have agreed that their aims can be better achieved the working with other groups independently, without the publicity overhead that the electrohippies have attracted over the last three years. The new objective of the collective members is simple to 'infiltrate to educate'.

Using the tools, techniques and contacts originated by the collective over the last three years to further the work of other organisations. In the process, assisting them to develop their own radical online consciousness. the collective has always functioned on the basis that 'electrohippies' actions are mounted only with the full agreement of the active members. But away from the decision-making processes of the collective, collective members are active in other fields and with other groups, developing the ideas originated by discussion between the members. Today, the original aims of the collective to develop online activism in support of civil society are being more imaginatively achieved by co-operating with other groups.

Abandoning the 'organisational overhead' will make this work easier. The decision to abandon the central organisation of the electrohippie collective is not the end of the electrohippies. They may come together to organise online actions. They will continue to work co-operatively to provide technical support and information to assist online activism. One of the key problems within the electrohippie collective has been that those members involved with the computer industry, or within other mainstream campaign organisations, have not been able to reveal their participation with the collective. There are many pro-industry security groups who take a grave view of anyone participating to assist civil society developing the capacity to effectively campaign online. Allowing the members of the collective to work more openly, without the potential threat to their livelihoods that association with the collective may bring, will also assist them develop their own projects. From the first action against the WTO's Seattle Conference, to developing online actions in tipis on mountain-tops, the electrohippie collective have developed a strong and rewarding working partnership. It is the view of the collective as a whole that this working partnership can be strengthened and extended by putting the formal organisation on hold for the time-being. "electrohippies 'disband to infiltrate' and grow the online activism network.

Points of Interest:

Article : "The Cult of the Dead Cow's response to - Client-side Distributed Denial-of-Service: Valid campaign tactic or terrorist act? " issued by the cult of the dead cow

Comments: The above article details the denial of service/freedom of speech debate within hacktivist circles