In this presentation, two criminologists and one sociologist reflect on why criminology and sociology often get ‘hacking’ very wrong - and on the challenges we faced trying to get it (a bit more) right.

We draw on ongoing research into how involvement in hacking practices changes over people’s lives, understanding moves between legal and illegal practices, often occupying all the grey areas in between. This talk is part take-down of previous criminological research into hacking, part navel-gaze into the difficulties of defining ‘hacking’, part critique of computer misuse legislation and policing practices like PREVENT, and part moan about institutional barriers to doing hacking research well.