Hacktivismo is an offshoot of CULT OF THE DEAD COW (cDc), whose beliefs include access to information as a basic human right. It was founded in 1999. Oxblood Ruffin, the director of Hacktivismo, has argued forcefully against definitions of hacktivism that include web defacements or denial-of-service attacks.
The group's beliefs are described fully in The Hacktivismo Declaration[1], which seeks to apply the Universal Declaration of Human Rights[2] and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights[3] to the Internet.
Hacktivismo has also authored its own software license agreement, the Hacktivismo Enhanced-Source Software License Agreement (HESSLA), which is source available (but not technically open source).