DeBattle

Community Trust Models — How Groups Verify New Members Without Central IDs In a world where digital interactions are increasingly prevalent, the need for reliable identity verification has become more crucial than ever. Traditional models often rely on centralized identifiers, but many… read more

Red Team Stories: Ethical Penetration Testers Recount Ethical Dilemmas In the realm of cybersecurity, the unsung heroes are often the ethical hackers who break into systems to reveal their vulnerabilities. These “red teams” are employed to mimic the tactics and techniques of… read more

Malware as Metaphor: Cultural Meanings Assigned to Malicious Code In the digital age, malware has become more than just a technological menace; it serves as a powerful metaphor for various socio-cultural phenomena. Just as a biological virus spreads through a population, malware… read more

Phreaker Memoirs — First-person accounts from phone-network explorers Before the Internet took the world by storm, a different kind of digital explorer thrived. These pioneers, known as phreakers, delved into the telephone networks, exploring its intricacies much like sailors charting unknown seas.… read more

Legal Gray Zones — How Laws Shape Underground Tech Practice In the rapidly evolving digital world, technology is often a step ahead of the law. This has created intriguing legal gray zones where innovators and technologists operate in unregulated or ambiguously regulated… read more

Dumpster Diving as Research — Material Culture Insights from Discarded Hardware In an age where technological advancements outpace cultural reflections, researchers have stumbled upon an unlikely reservoir of knowledge: dumpsters. Often seen as mere receptacles for waste, dumpsters and their contents can… read more

Radio for the People — Low-Power Broadcasting and Its Political Lineage In an age dominated by high-tech, digital communication, the simplicity and accessibility of low-power radio broadcasting offer a unique medium for grassroots communication. Since its inception, radio has been a powerful… read more

Social Engineering, Social Ethics — Human Manipulation as Research Topic, Not Handbook Social engineering, in the realm of security and psychology, typically refers to the art of manipulating people into performing actions or divulging confidential information. While often highlighted in cybersecurity scenarios,… read more

The Archive of Hacks — Documenting Historic Hacks as Cultural Artifacts As the digital age continues to evolve, the nature of hacking has shifted from niche activity to mainstream cultural phenomenon. Some argue that hacking now resembles modern-day folklore. Each hack that… read more

Counter-Surveillance Arts — Installations that Make Watching Visible In an age where digital surveillance is prevalent, artists are increasingly creating work that challenges and critiques the omnipresence of observational technologies. Through innovative installations, these artists make the act of surveillance itself visible,… read more

Civic Hacking Case Studies — Projects That Built Useful Public Tools Without Leaving Harm Civic hacking is the practice of collaborating with technology to improve local communities through innovative solutions. It involves the utilization of publicly available data to create useful tools… read more

Device Stewardship — How to Maintain Long-Lived Hardware Against Planned Obsolescence In a world where technology evolves rapidly, and new models seem to appear overnight, practicing device stewardship is more important than ever. Engaging in effective device maintenance not only extends the… read more