Gregg Housh

Gregg Housh grew up the son of a lifelong criminal. His father was rarely present, and when he was, politics were never a topic of conversation. One of Housh’s earliest memories is his father attempting to teach him how to pick locks with bump keys at the age of 4. Without clear guidance on right versus wrong or legal versus illegal behavior, his early years set the stage for a tumultuous adolescence.

In his teenage years and early 20s, Housh helped operate one of the Internet's leading software pirating rings while evading an FBI task force. That ended in 2000, when he was arrested. He spent the next seven years entangled in court proceedings before being sentenced to prison in 2007. His incarceration included time in a federal penitentiary and a 27-day stay in solitary confinement.

After his release, Housh worked in various computer-related roles while remaining active in online subcultures, most notably the hacktivist collective Anonymous. He played a key role in shifting the group toward political activism, a move that drew backlash from some early members. He was later doxed by a cult that posted his personal information online and distributed a DVD featuring him and others by name and image.

During Anonymous’s global protest campaign against the Church of Scientology, Housh became a media interpreter and frequent interview subject across news outlets, radio, and television. For more than a decade, he has been featured in media around the world, offering commentary on hacking, activism and politics.

Following the intense hacktivist and activist period from 2008 to 2010, Housh reexamined his political beliefs and long-term goals. He emerged with a clear commitment to activism, progressive causes and political action, which have remained his primary focus ever since.