=  What is MetaHacker  =

MetaHacker, like Metaspore [http://manaus.metareciclagem.org Borala] is mostly an idea and another chance to use the word Meta in a cool sounding project title. It is an idea about the re-appropriation of technology for social transformation. The concept encompasses various forms of action: the rebirth of donated computers into recycled labs using free software and the creation of environments through the Internet where information circulates freely, as well as every type of experimentation and strategic and operational support for socially engaged projects.

=  I got it. MetaHacker is a nonprofit organization? =

Not really. MetaHacker is not an NGO. At the end of 2003, when the actions of [http://oxossi.metareciclagem.org/ Meta-Reciclagem] (the mother of all Meta's) started to gather pace, we thought about creating an NGO. However the obligation to take collective decisions, giving everyone equal voting rights and the right to veto whatever their level of participation in the project, the need to give a 'proper name' to everyone and the requirements to document every little thing we wanted to do made us lose the desire to go formal. Another doubt we had was how could we use a name created collectively by tens of people that did not necessarily want to become formally involved in a organised institution without losing the support of those whose only participation in the project was to send a link a month. The long discussion on this subject was one of the main reasons
[http://projetometafora.org ProjetoMetá:Fora] got emptied, and we gave up institutionalizing.

=  So you're an "independent collective"?  =

At the beginning, we thought we could be classified as an independent collective. But later we saw independent, anarchist, libertarian collectives, reproduce that typical 20th Century behavior: people uniting around a name and using that name to separate the "us" from "them". The result was the continuation of competitiveness and a political game in a form that is not like us. We rejected this classification also.

=  So, you are, actually, a group that defends digital inclusion! =

This is contraversial. Many MetaHacker actions can be placed in the context of digital inclusion. However, I don´t think we can state this is an objective. An objective is the ''reappropriation of technology for social transformation''. This is so vague that it perhaps cannot be called an objective in reality. But that´s life, sometimes we don´t have names for things that do exist.

=  So, what the hell are you?  =
Actually, the problem lies in that question. It's not that we ''are'' MetaHacker. We are, instead, people that ''do'' MetaHacker. This group emerged in a decentralized way ''from'' the net. It wasn't like a gathering of wise people that created a group, but people that got together because they had interests and perspectives alike. I mean, MetaHacker is a methodology, a name that some people use to define and identify a way of handling technology, and that aims re-appropriation of technology for social transformation.

=  Hmm... think I get it. But how do I become a MetaHacker?  =

If you are sufficiently interested to have read up to here, it is well possible that you already are a metahacker. You only need to call the things you do Meta-Hacking and tell us. The traditional way of doing this is to subscribe to the [http://lista.metareciclagem.org discussion list]. That's it.

=  More resources  =

 * [http://gallery.metareciclagem.org Picture Gallery]
 * [http://blogs.metareciclagem.org/fff/?p=43 Tech Museum Awards, 2004]
 * [http://blogs.metareciclagem.org/fff/?p=3590 Ingleisando]