Hacker gives stolen bitcoins to Syrian Kurds for fight against ISIS
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – An unidentified hacker used his skills to steal €10,000 worth of bitcoins online, which he transferred to Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava), claiming that his motive was to help the Kurds of Rojava in their fight against the Islamic State (ISIS).
The hacker is known by the online names ‘Phineas Fisher’ and ‘Hack Back!’, and on Twitter as @GammaGroupPR.
He did not name the person or entity he stole the online currency from, saying he hopes there are “a few orders of magnitude more on the way.”
The hacker warmly described Rojava as “one of the most inspiring revolutionary projects in the world.”
Fighting a costly war against ISIS, Syria’s Kurds have turned to online crowdfunding to help finance the purchasing of farm equipment as part of their Rojava Plan, which seeks to develop various civil projects in the region.
Syria’s Kurds rely heavily on agriculture to sustain themselves.
Rojava’s authorities say that money coming from crowdfunding will be used solely for civil projects and not for the military.
Deniz Tari of the Rojava Plan said that if the hacker sends on more money “we would use it to fund our other projects that we want to do such as the Kurdish Ubunto distro (computer operating system) and earthbags for construction.”
To date, their crowdfunding campaign has received more than $56,000.
Bitcoin is a virtual currency which is promoted by its users and advocates as an alternative to normal currency since it is not controlled by a centralized source and is therefore “more resistant to wild inflation and corrupt banks.”
The hacker says he is inspired by Rojava. He extols the virtues of the system the Kurds in Rojava are building as well as their bravery in fighting ISIS.
“They’re in an incredibly difficult situation, with ISIS on one side and US ally Turkey embargoing and attacking them on the other,” the hacker told the UK publication Ars Technica UK.
And yet “they’re building a society that takes ‘Western’ values like democracy and feminism to lengths that put the West to shame,” he added. “All while fighting ISIS and winning, unlike the US trained and supplied Iraqi army.”
The Kurds of Rojava have inspired many in Western countries who are sending money to the region, lobbying their countries to support Rojava, and volunteering to fight with Rojava’s military units.
The hacker also hopes his act will generate media attention saying he finds a lot of the current coverage of Rojava distasteful since it usually amounts to some “gimmicky article about women fighting ISIS, headlined by a picture of a hot chick with a gun.”
Rather, the hacker argued, media coverage should compare Rojava to previous “libertarian revolutions or attempts such as anarchism” throughout history.
The hacker is known by the online names ‘Phineas Fisher’ and ‘Hack Back!’, and on Twitter as @GammaGroupPR.
He did not name the person or entity he stole the online currency from, saying he hopes there are “a few orders of magnitude more on the way.”
The hacker warmly described Rojava as “one of the most inspiring revolutionary projects in the world.”
Fighting a costly war against ISIS, Syria’s Kurds have turned to online crowdfunding to help finance the purchasing of farm equipment as part of their Rojava Plan, which seeks to develop various civil projects in the region.
Syria’s Kurds rely heavily on agriculture to sustain themselves.
Rojava’s authorities say that money coming from crowdfunding will be used solely for civil projects and not for the military.
Deniz Tari of the Rojava Plan said that if the hacker sends on more money “we would use it to fund our other projects that we want to do such as the Kurdish Ubunto distro (computer operating system) and earthbags for construction.”
To date, their crowdfunding campaign has received more than $56,000.
Bitcoin is a virtual currency which is promoted by its users and advocates as an alternative to normal currency since it is not controlled by a centralized source and is therefore “more resistant to wild inflation and corrupt banks.”
The hacker says he is inspired by Rojava. He extols the virtues of the system the Kurds in Rojava are building as well as their bravery in fighting ISIS.
“They’re in an incredibly difficult situation, with ISIS on one side and US ally Turkey embargoing and attacking them on the other,” the hacker told the UK publication Ars Technica UK.
And yet “they’re building a society that takes ‘Western’ values like democracy and feminism to lengths that put the West to shame,” he added. “All while fighting ISIS and winning, unlike the US trained and supplied Iraqi army.”
The Kurds of Rojava have inspired many in Western countries who are sending money to the region, lobbying their countries to support Rojava, and volunteering to fight with Rojava’s military units.
The hacker also hopes his act will generate media attention saying he finds a lot of the current coverage of Rojava distasteful since it usually amounts to some “gimmicky article about women fighting ISIS, headlined by a picture of a hot chick with a gun.”
Rather, the hacker argued, media coverage should compare Rojava to previous “libertarian revolutions or attempts such as anarchism” throughout history.