Added: 06/27/2007 |
The Cult Of The Dead CowThere are many legends in the world of computers. One of the greatest legends of all is that of the Cult of the Dead Cow. First created in Lubbock, Texas, way back in 1984, the Dead Cows are one of the premier hacker/hacktivist organizations in the world. In their 20 years of operation they have grown larger and more influential, as well as fostering the creation of a number of splinter organizations.
It all began over 20 years ago deep in the heart of Texas in the city of Lubbock. The month was June, the year was 1984, the building an old Farm Pac slaughterhouse. Three people: Grandmaster Ratte, Franken Gibe and Sid Vicious (not the famed member of the Sex Pistols) founded the Cult. All three were SysOps (System Operators) of local BBSes, and they decided to form, then and there, the Cult of the Dead Cow.
Although the slaughterhouse is gone now (it burned in 1996), the cDc remains. In the earliest years they became well known throughout the world of the BBS (Bulletin Board System) due to their popular e-zine, titled the same as the group: “CULT OF THE DEAD COW.” According to the cDc, they were responsible for the creation of the e-zine, although this is a difficult claim to either prove or disprove. They were certainly one of the major early e-zine publishers. They continue to publish the e-zine to this day.
Among the many accomplishments of the cDc, they created the first Hacker Con 1990, known as HoHoCon. The convention was the brainchild of cDc member Drunkfux. They have used such conventions, their e-zine, web site and media exposure to spread their hacktivist causes, seeking to bring human rights to the Internet.
The cDc has had a major impact on the world of underground hacker culture, and have long been one of most famous (or infamous) public figures in the scene. In 1991 Sassy Magazine named them “Sassiest Underground Computer Group.” They also had the distinction of being called out by none other than Geraldo Rivera in 1994; he called them a bunch of sickos due to a 1988 article they had published in their e-zine: “Sex With Satan.”
Along with their other exploits, the dead cows also began selling music on cassette tape through their PO Box in good old Lubbock. In 1997, before Napster and the online music trading craze, they were one of the first web sites to begin distributing music through the then fairly new technology of the MP3.
Over the years two splinter organizations have spawned from the Cult of the Dead Cow: the Ninja Strike Force formed in 1996 and Hacktivismo formed in 1999. Both of these organizations, like the Cult of the Dead Cow itself, fall under the umbrella organization of cDc Communications.
One of the most important campaigns of the cDc is their campaign against Google launched in early 2006 known as the “Goolag.” They decry Google’s compliance with the government of China to censor internet searches to users in China; in the eyes of the Cult of the Dead Cow this is a gross violation of human rights. Their campaign also extends to Microsoft, Yahoo! and Cisco, whom together with Google they refer to as the “Gang of Four.”
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