Four Horsemen of the Infocalypse
Encyclopedia
The Four Horsemen of the Infocalypse is a term for internet
criminals, or the image
ry of internet criminals.
A play on Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
, it refers to types of criminals who use the internet to facilitate crime and consequently jeopardize the rights of honest internet users. There does not appear to be an exact definition for who the Horsemen are, but they are usually described as terrorists, drug dealers, pedophiles, and organized crime
. Other sources use slightly different descriptions but generally refer to the same types of criminals. The term was coined by Timothy C. May
in 1988, who referred to them as "child pornographers, terrorists, abortionists, abortion protestors, etc." when discussing the reasons for limited civilian use of cryptography
tools. Among the most famous of these is in the Cypherpunk
FAQ
, which states:
8.3.4. "How will privacy and anonymity be attacked?"
[...]
- like so many other "computer hacker" items, as a tool for
the "Four Horsemen": drug-dealers, money-launderers,
terrorists, and pedophiles.
17.5.7. "What limits on the Net are being proposed?"
[...]
+ Newspapers are complaining about the Four Horsemen of the
Infocalypse:
- terrorists, pedophiles, drug dealers, and money
launderers
The term seems to be used less often in discussions about online criminal activity, but more often in discussions about the negative, or chilling effects such activity has had on regular users' daily experiences online.
It also used frequently to describe the political tactic Think of the children
. A message from the same
mailing list states:
How to get what you want in 4 easy stages:
1. Have a target "thing" you wish to stop, yet lack any moral, or
practical reasons for doing so?
2. Pick a fear common to lots of people, something that will evoke a
gut reaction: terrorists, pedophiles, serial killers.
3. Scream loudly to the media that "thing" is being used by
perpetrators. (Don't worry if this is true, or common to all other
things, or less common with "thing" than with other long established
systems - payphones, paper mail, private hotel rooms, lack of bugs in
all houses etc.)
4. Say that the only way to stop perpetrators is to close down
"thing", or to regulate it to death, or to have laws forcing en-mass
tapability of all private communications on "thing". Don't worry if
communicating on "thing" is a constitutionally protected right, if you
have done a good job in choosing and publicising the horsemen in 2, no
one will notice, they will be too busy clamouring for you to save them
from the supposed evils.
The four supposed threats may be used all at once or individually, depending on the circumstances:
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
criminals, or the image
Image
An image is an artifact, for example a two-dimensional picture, that has a similar appearance to some subject—usually a physical object or a person.-Characteristics:...
ry of internet criminals.
A play on Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are described in the last book of the New Testament of the Bible, called the Book of Revelation of Jesus Christ to Saint John the Evangelist at 6:1-8. The chapter tells of a "'book'/'scroll' in God's right hand that is sealed with seven seals"...
, it refers to types of criminals who use the internet to facilitate crime and consequently jeopardize the rights of honest internet users. There does not appear to be an exact definition for who the Horsemen are, but they are usually described as terrorists, drug dealers, pedophiles, and organized crime
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
. Other sources use slightly different descriptions but generally refer to the same types of criminals. The term was coined by Timothy C. May
Timothy C. May
Timothy C. May, better known as Tim May, is a technical and political writer, and was an electronic engineer and senior scientist at Intel in the company's early history...
in 1988, who referred to them as "child pornographers, terrorists, abortionists, abortion protestors, etc." when discussing the reasons for limited civilian use of cryptography
Cryptography
Cryptography is the practice and study of techniques for secure communication in the presence of third parties...
tools. Among the most famous of these is in the Cypherpunk
Cypherpunk
A cypherpunk is an activist advocating widespread use of strong cryptography as a route to social and political change.Originally communicating through the Cypherpunks electronic mailing list, informal groups aimed to achieve privacy and security through proactive use of cryptography...
FAQ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions are listed questions and answers, all supposed to be commonly asked in some context, and pertaining to a particular topic. "FAQ" is usually pronounced as an initialism rather than an acronym, but an acronym form does exist. Since the acronym FAQ originated in textual...
, which states:
8.3.4. "How will privacy and anonymity be attacked?"
[...]
- like so many other "computer hacker" items, as a tool for
the "Four Horsemen": drug-dealers, money-launderers,
terrorists, and pedophiles.
17.5.7. "What limits on the Net are being proposed?"
[...]
+ Newspapers are complaining about the Four Horsemen of the
Infocalypse:
- terrorists, pedophiles, drug dealers, and money
launderers
The term seems to be used less often in discussions about online criminal activity, but more often in discussions about the negative, or chilling effects such activity has had on regular users' daily experiences online.
It also used frequently to describe the political tactic Think of the children
For The Children (politics)
Citing the interests of children is a rationale that is sometimes given for why something should or should not be done.It can also be seen as:* a rationalization/justification* a political tool* a rhetorical phrase Citing the interests of children is a rationale that is sometimes given for why...
. A message from the same
Cypherpunk
A cypherpunk is an activist advocating widespread use of strong cryptography as a route to social and political change.Originally communicating through the Cypherpunks electronic mailing list, informal groups aimed to achieve privacy and security through proactive use of cryptography...
mailing list states:
How to get what you want in 4 easy stages:
1. Have a target "thing" you wish to stop, yet lack any moral, or
practical reasons for doing so?
2. Pick a fear common to lots of people, something that will evoke a
gut reaction: terrorists, pedophiles, serial killers.
3. Scream loudly to the media that "thing" is being used by
perpetrators. (Don't worry if this is true, or common to all other
things, or less common with "thing" than with other long established
systems - payphones, paper mail, private hotel rooms, lack of bugs in
all houses etc.)
4. Say that the only way to stop perpetrators is to close down
"thing", or to regulate it to death, or to have laws forcing en-mass
tapability of all private communications on "thing". Don't worry if
communicating on "thing" is a constitutionally protected right, if you
have done a good job in choosing and publicising the horsemen in 2, no
one will notice, they will be too busy clamouring for you to save them
from the supposed evils.
The four supposed threats may be used all at once or individually, depending on the circumstances: