This is an interesting story. Gary McKinnon, an English hacker, is fighting extradition to the US. In 2002, he hacked into sensitive, supposedly very secure US government and defense websites looking for UFO secrets. He has Asperger's Syndrome, and has confessed that he knows he made a bad mistake.
I'm not sure prosecuting him is the right move. You prosecute to make sure the offender doesnt reoffend, and to make sure others see his example and know not to do the same thing. He's confessed already. Instead of making him a criminal, why not hire him to make your defenses better?
People with Asperger's are very smart. Bill Gates has it. It varies from person to person on how affected they are. So is that an excuse? I don't know.
ReplyDeleteThey also do not go into what is this supposed "damage" he did. Our world has not collapsed. We have not suffered any major effect that I have heard about... which leads me to feel it is about getting caught with our security pants down, not actual harm.
Seems like a big waste of time for so little crime. Especially to drag him here from another country.
Take it seriously. Prosecute him, but make the sentence very light (probation) and hire him.
ReplyDeleteI think DMarks has the right idea. Prosecute, then make a condition of the probation that he work to improve cyber security.
ReplyDeleteYes, that does make sense. So long as we don't use him as an example by giving him a ridiculously harsh sentence to warn others off. I'd like the justice to be even headed.
ReplyDelete