Vigilantism arises when some established order is perceived to be under threat from the transgression (or potential transgression) of institutionalized norms. Its origins lie in the medieval practice of charivari in 13th and 14th century France. Charivari involved public ridicule and the taunting of individuals who had transcended community rules.
In the conventional world, a vigilante is someone who enforces others’ obedience to the law without having the legal authority to do so. It is an action in pursuit of what is seen as justice by self-appointed individuals or groups lacking legal authority, typically when they see legal action as grossly inadequate.
The law has never recognized a crime called vigilantism; instead, vigilantes are prosecuted for other recognized offense that they commit in the course of their efforts to enforce obedience to the law - such as homicide or assault.
An example of cybervigilantism would be cracking into a child pornography site and wiping out its hard drives. Cybervigilantism also can occur in the realm of global terrorism. Some experts say that private citizens who seek to monitor and close down terror-linked Web sites are hurting the government's own investigations.
Cybervigilantism
