Hacking, a full stomach, and ethics

In a pre-print of an interview from the next issue of the club magazine "Die Datenschleuder", the Chaos Computer Club (CCC) tells the story of a hacker whose software was sold to several governments in the Middle East (among others) that used it to spy on the opposing political forces. To which means and ends should hackers use their talents? In today's world, is it still possible to ignore what happens with the results of one's own drive to hack, research and tinker?