Virtual sit-in

Philippines 'virtual sit-in'
By Manila, Philippines
March 23, 2006
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Computer-savvy Philippine protesters took civil disobedience to cyberspace Thursday, launching a "virtual sit-in" campaign that urged online activists to overwhelm the police Web site with numerous hits.
Protesting alleged human rights abuses, activists calling themselves "Electronic Brigade" opened a Web site that directs visitors to the main national police site.
"You are about to take part in an online direct action protest. Please confirm that you are willingly taking part in this action by clicking OK or exit without taking part by clicking cancel," the message said.
The activists, who are not identified, said their brand of "hacktivism" is legal because it technically involves just visiting a Web site.
Similar tactics, known as a denial-of-service attack, have been used before to cripple leading commercial sites such as Amazon.com, Yahoo, CNN and eBay. A Canadian teen pleaded guilty to charges of mischief in connection with those attacks and other security breaches.
More recent computer worms have been designed to launch similar attacks against Microsoft Corp. and other companies. A Minnesota teen was sentenced last year to 18 months in prison for unleashing one such worm.
Police did not comment immediately, and it wasn't clear how many hits their Web site recorded.
The activists' Web site opens with a cartoon of the "Electronic Brigade" members dressed as super heroes, wearing masks and caps. A blurb accuses police of rampant human rights violations.