AS Hacker Could Face 70 Years In Jail

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This is unfortunate. The AS diagnosis is all but after the fact, since he was arrested years ago for breaking into unsecured computers using simple techniques known to anyone in the computer/network security community.

Slashdot has been covering this issue from the geek point of view for years. See:

http://slashdot.org/index2.pl?fhfilter=Gary+McKinnon

Wherever he's tried, I hope he gets something like "time served" and probation. From what I've read about his attacks, he's not in any way a technically savvy cybercriminal. And the U.S.'s various claims for dollar amount of damages remain unjustified and difficult to accept. Besides, what good would putting McKinnon in jail do? Deter other hackers? Improve the image of Aspies? Secure American government computers and networks?

It's well known in the security community that there is no such thing as a perfectly secure system. Any system can be hacked, in more ways than most people realize. Read the current posts on Slashdot (slashdot.org) about Black Hat 2009 to get a taste of what the professionals are up to.

Here's one problem, I know that if sentenced to probation he may not be able to leave jurisdiction until his probation ends. Since the jurisdiction where the crime took place is the US, that means he could be stuck there for a period of time. Unless there are arrangements with the UK government to serve his probation at his home country.

I agree. What really angered me was in the week, when the result of the appeal was released, all the BBC news covered in detail that morning was how some bloody football manager had died. The GM case got a 10s mention, despite the importance to everyone in this country. As things stand now, any one of us can be extradited to the US solely on the word of the US government. That is so incredibly wrong, I find it hard to believe how any British politician can accept it. Yet they clearly do. Those politicians are our enemies, and make a mockery of our political and democratic system. If our elected representatives betray us so blatantly, then what options are left open to us?

Question: Would any of you support this guy so strongly if he wasn't AS?

I fail to see how that has anything to do with the crimes he did. Seems to me he's just trying to get out of punishment by any means necessary. 70 years is harsh but I sincerely doubt he'd serve all of that even if that was the sentence. If he had cooperated he could of copped a plea(for less the 4 years) but he didn't and that's his mistake now he'll get a harsher sentence.

Come on...

They didn't secure their network... He was kind enough to leave them notes to let them know how carp their network was...

And then they try to make an example of him for it...

I know where my loyalties lie!

I would support him even if he was NT but then again, would any NT seriously hack a network to find out about UFOs?

Sam x

I don't think he was so fascinated in UFOs that he couldn't help himself. He knew what he was doing and the significance. He wasn't trying to help out either. He deleted files and damaged the computers as well as writing stuff about how Americans are the real terrorists. Says a lot about his motivations.

I don't see how saying the systems were poorly secured has anything to do with it either. Sometimes I leave my doors unlocked, doesn't mean it's okay for somebody can come in and mess with my stuff.

Well unless they have evidence that he was trying to sell the information or use it for criminal purposes, i think that this guy is being treated unfairly.

I'm not saying that it was okay for him to go in their systems because they were unlocked, what I'm saying is that, the US are totally over-reacting to something that was, in part, caused by their own lack of due care. Had the systems been protected properly McK would have found it much harder to access them.

They are embarrassed and are trying to make an example of McK.

No one is saying he shouldn't be punished at all, and no one is saying it wasn't wrong what McK did because we all know it was, and so does he.

But the punishment needs to fit the crime.

The way they are treating him is definitely unfair. I wonder whether such a penalty has ever been served for hacking?

They're probably more embarrassed about the Chinese and Russians governments hacking into our computers than some random cyber vandalist. Most people in the US probably never heard of this case. This is pretty standard procedure in post-9/11 world I would think.

What is an appropriate punishment though? Slap on the wrist probation? He had his chance with a plea to get 3-4 years(with like half of that time in the UK) if he cooperated. He'll get 8-10 now because of this He thought he could get a lighter sentence in the UK and that's all it is to it to his appeal. That's a dangerous precedent to set. Justice is blind, he is guilty of the crimes accused. Simple as that.

By that reasoning if he gets to Prison and wears regular skivvies instead of a chastity belt then it won't be rape if his cell mate buggers him. Especially if the cell mate is kind enough to kiss him on the cheek afterward and recommend that he get a chastity belt to secure his anal orifice in the future.


Given the guesstimate of 1 in 150 people on the autistic spectrum that gets bandied about this radio program would not have the large audience it does if it relied on having aspies as its main audience.

You mean admit to something he didn't do to avoid summary punishment, and make life easy for your scum-of-the-earth politicians and their morally-bankrupt judiciary? That's not justice, it's coercion; though most of the world knows that coercion is a corner stone of your legal system, and central to your country's foreign policy. If you Yanks want to carry on like this, then nobody's going to stop you for now; but realise you're making enemies. Even in countries whose governments consider the US an allied nation, your country is detested by many folk. Just as well you Yanks prefer to spend your vacations in your own country!

What do you mean something he didn't do? Is there really any argument that he didn't do anything wrong? I don't think this guy even denies doing it. I doubt he'd fight to be tried in the UK if he thought he'd get a lighter sentence in the US. He doesn't want to get extradited because he wants a lighter sentence simple as that. That's not a legitimate excuse.

Nice Anti-American tangent by the way.

Your government asserts he caused serious damage. He says he didn't. You've got a guy who allegedly carried this out from his bedroom in his mother's house in England up against the most powerful force on the planet. Your government has already fed your population half-truths, as is evidenced by your above post, in order to assure the jury find him guilty.


Thanks, I do my best. It seems anti-American posts don't disappear like anti-multiculturalism posts. Liberals have their uses, for sure.

Something he didn't do like the admission referenced in the 2nd paragraph of this article?

Actually the law in any country ultimately rests on coercion. And as far as Foreign Policy goes just how did your own country get to be the Empire that the Sun never set on? If he does end up going to trial over here he is guaranteed a Right to an Attorney and to not have to give evidence against himself and to be judged by a Jury that will be instructed that the Prosecution has to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt. I have served on two Juries, one case ended in conviction and the other in acquittal. Not everybody that goes on trial here is convicted, have you ever heard of the Menendez brothers?

BTW ascan I took vacation in New Zealand last May, there is a picture of me in Taupo in the Post a Pic stickied thread in the Members Forum, but don't let that get in the way of your cherished stereotypes.

And of course people who are accused of felonies never lie to make themselves look better. Do you always operate on the assumption that people facing time behind bars don't lie about what they did, or didn't, do?


Except for autism websites over here McKinnons case is largely unkown.

I suspect ascan is referring specifically to the trumped up 'damages' whereby he magically inflicted $50,000 worth on multiple machine. (coincidentally the exact figure needed to enact certain legal protocols)