It takes a special sort of person to start an online news service in this age of free content, layoffs, and ad blockers. Gregg Housh, it appears, is that sort of person. Housh, a sometimes member of the Anonymous “hacktivist” group, founded a website called Rebel News last month, according to The Boston Globe.
The site’s goal is to offer “substantial, well sourced journalism” focusing on activism, politics, and rights, according to a Kickstarter campaign launched in August to help fund the site. The campaign has 31 days to go.
From the Globe:
At 38, Housh insists he’s no longer the amoral mischief maker who used to pirate software just to feel an adrenaline rush. In fact, he has become a popular authority on cybercrime since pleading guilty to conspiracy to violate copyright laws in 2005.
Housh has had an interesting career, to say the least. He’s built web sites and helped them with search engine optimization. He’s trolled the Church of Scientology. He’s served as an adviser for the hit Netflix series House of Cards (his work helped form the character of hacker Gavin Orsay). He’s been arrested for his role in running a software piracy organization and spent three months in prison, according to the Huffington Post.
Come to think of it, it’s the kind of training that might come in handy in the rough-and-tumble world of digital news.
For a look at corporate hacking, watch this Fortune video:
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