I don't think that people who have called themselves a 'hacker' for quite some time should be made to change their title because a few uninformed people have created a panic around the term. If the public has a bad view of the term hacker, then having hackers call themselves D.B.P.'s isn't going to help anymore than calling worms "self-propogating programs" would. The goal here should be to inform the public and change their uninformed view of hackers so that speeches like the one noted in the article aren't made again.
I agree that one must be aware of the exploits and vulnerabilities that hackers point out and make public. However, security is not simply a consequence of hackers. Security is a consequence of human nature. Banks don't just put your money in vaults because of safecrackers, they put your money in vaults because your average person will walk away with your money if they find it lying in the middle of the street.
'Hacker' is not synonymous with virus. One is a person. The other is a program. Yes, one is a problem to be guarded against. But a hacker is not a problem any more than a treasury agent familiar with counterfeiting is a 'problem' to the U.S. economy. Any belief to the otherwise is a gross oversimplification of the facts.
The issue here isn't the word. The issue here is getting 'most people' to change their personal meaning of the word. Odd looks and bad press are based on opinion, not fact. Opinions that don't HAVE to be set in stone.
It's a shame that people feel they need to change established terminology to make it easier for the lazy masses. In fact it's quite an ironic idea.. normally phrases for 'bad' things are changed by the spin doctors.. think of friendly fire, down sizing or (here in the UK) safety cameras instead of speed cameras.
On the subject of security.. if you lock your doors at night and keep your wallet well hidden then surely using a firewall et al should come as second nature and not a surprise?
On the subject of security.. if you lock your doors at night and keep your wallet well hidden then surely using a firewall et al should come as second nature and not a surprise?