Talk by hacker who broke into top systems and was jailed

‘When you’re doing the hacking you don’t see faces, you don’t see victims. You forget there are humans behind the system you are breaking into’

A former computer hacker, once dubbed one of the “most wanted cyber-criminals on the planet”, will appear at a special presentation of a documentary in Canterbury tonight (Thursday).

Jake Davis, 25, was a member of the hacking collective Anonymous before forming Lulzsec. It was behind cyber attacks on the likes of the CIA, Sony and the X Factor in 2011.

He was eventually arrested, aged just 18, in a joint investigation conducted by the FBI and Scotland Yard.

Having used the codename Topiary, he was sentenced to two years in a young offenders’ institute – but served just 38 days due to time spent tagged and under house arrest.

Since then he has gone on to be employed by the likes of Twitter and Facebook to highlight flaws in their security.

Now he is a global consultant on security, internet culture and privacy, as well as a writer and speaker.

And on Thursday he will be appearing after a screening of a 20-minute documentary about him entitled A Hacker’s Story.

It explores how an informal group of people were able to assemble and hack global organisations.

Following the free screening, there will be a talk with Mr Davis in which he will discuss the motivations for such cyber attacks, the risk they pose to our security and the moral issues involved.

Mr Davis said: “It took me a couple of years following my arrest to come to terms with the hacking we did and what they meant.

“When you’re doing the hacking you don’t see faces, you don’t see victims. You forget there are humans behind the system you are breaking into.”

A Hacker’s Story focuses on the experiences and insights of three different people – each with a unique perspective on illegal hacking.

In addition to Mr Davis, there will be Professor Ruth Blakeley, co-director of the Rendition Project which provides an analysis of the CIA’S rendition, detention and interrogation programme. She will discuss the role of hacking in global security and human rights.

Also appearing will be Richard Jones, manager at the National Cyber Crime Unit. Stressing the rule of the law, he will highlight the need for greater collaboration and communication with hackers.

The event takes place at the Gulbenkian, starting at 6pm. It is free to attend but places must be booked in advance.

Hacker Jake Davis