Computer hacking is arguably one of the biggest stories today, from ongoing discussion of the 2016 phishing attack on the US Democratic National Committee to last week’s debilitating WannaCry ransomware attack. Unfortunately, this serious issue which affects billions of people has led to a flood of comically bad stock photography in the news.
It’s hard to illustrate a story about computer hacking. We almost never know what the hackers look like and where they are. They’re rarely up for being photographed. And the result of hacking is often visually dull: Stolen emails? Ok. Leaked credit card info? Terrible, but boring. What we’re usually left with is a stock image of a computer screen, a dull photo of a piece of technology (the imposing server rack, the subtly dangerous thumbdrive) or lastly the inexplicable illustration trope I like to call “Something something cybersecurity shadowy computer guy?”
Here are some of the best (worst) images circulating on the web:
Perhaps we should be thankful that hacking hasn’t manifested itself yet into scenarios more conducive to photography. Would photo editors prefer buildings on fire and people starving because of the actions of a massive-scale hack? Of course not.
I pick on these photos out of love. Wire photographers send images back from the furthest corners of the world, often risking their lives, to help us understand what is happening everyday. Sometimes, though, the news is abstract and doesn’t fit into a photo.
