> This doesn't sound much like activism

Yes it does; it's a perfect example of how "activist" (and by extension "hactivist") is being used in modern propaganda. Jacob Appelbaum very recently gave a rather... intense talk[1] that is about[2] this type of propaganda. As he explains:

    Let us address this concept of "activism", and it works like this.
    "Activism" is used as a pejorative term in order to suggest that
    participation in a democratic society is somehow outside of
    normal behavior.

> There is no mention

Stenographers publishing propaganda are not in the business of revealing facts.

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJValv4YQcY#t=78 (note: Jacob doesn't pull his punches, so this contains some strong language)

[2] It also has some disturbing new information about how The Guardian treated him, Poitras, Greenwald, and others.