Tactical FloodNet Brief Description
Tactical FloodNet's automated features are used to:
- Reload a targeted webpage several times per minute.
- Spam targeted server error logs.
Please Note: You must turn javascript off and leave Java on while using FloodNet.
Functionality is simple.
The website of an institution or symbol of Mexican neo-liberalism is
targeted on a particular day. A link to FloodNet is then posted in a public call for
participation in the tactical strike. Netsurfers follow this link; then simply leaving
their browser open will automatically reload the target webpage every few seconds. The
intent is to disrupt access to the targeted website by flooding the host server with
requests for that website.
As the Java applet performs automatic reloads in the background,
FloodNet also encourages interactive conceptual Internet art. Netsurfers may voice their
political concerns on a targeted server, via automated error log spamming. A mouse click
sends a predefined message to the server error log of the targeted website. Alternatively,
the "personal message" form will send the surfer's own statement to the server
error log of their choice.
FloodNet is conceptual art that empowers people through
activist/artistic expression. By creatively selecting phases, for example "human
rights", surfers can upload messages to server error logs, like "human_rights
not found on this server." This works because of the way servers process requests for
webpages that do not exist. FloodNet's error log Java applet asks the targeted server for
a webpage called, in this example, "human rights", but that webpage doesn't
exist. So the server returns the familiar "File not Found" or "Error
404" message. It also records the request for "human rights" in the
server’s error log. This is a unique way to leave a message on a server.