Proposed bill could jail hackers for life
 

Proposed bill could jail hackers for life


By Declan McCullagh
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
November 13, 2002, 4:59 PM PT


WASHINGTON--A last-minute addition to a proposal for a Department of Homeland Security bill would punish malicious computer hackers with life in prison.
The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday evening began debating the bill, which would reshape large portions of the federal bureaucracy into a new department combining parts of 22 existing federal agencies, including the Secret Service, the Coast Guard, and the FBI's National Infrastructure Protection Center.

During closed-door negotiations before the debate began, the House Republican leadership inserted the 16-page Cyber Security Enhancement Act (CSEA) into the Homeland Security bill. CSEA expands the ability of police to conduct Internet or telephone eavesdropping without first obtaining a court order, and offers Internet providers more latitude to disclose information to police.

full story:
http://msnbc-cnet.com.com/2100-1001-...&subj=cnetnews

and they don't do this to rapists? i don't think i like a value system that rates property crime over the value of their own citizens.

There are many forms of rape or doing things against someones will. Hacking is a form of it!

I agree with what corvo is saying.

Penalise rapists of people much more severely.:thumbsup

they need to include hitbotters in that group with hackers

in most cases hacking is more or less nothing but a property crime, like vandilism, my only observation is the concern that the legislative arm of the american government is showing for a property crime when compared with the punishments dealt out for something far more destructive.

iam not saying hacking is not bad, i am saying that the value system the laws reflect is fucked.

It's pure bullshit. The S&L creeps stole billions and their jail time was measured in handfuls of months. If a hacker does damage to a system, the punishment should fit the crime. If you cost a company $10,000 in lost revenue, you should be punished the same as you would if you swiped $10,000 out from under their mattress.


Here's a few choice bits:

"CSEA expands the ability of police to conduct Internet or telephone eavesdropping without first obtaining a court order."

I hope you aren't too attatched to your rights, because they're all going out the window in the name of "Homeland Security".

"Defending against terrorists who can strike any time with any method requires a change in our approach to the problem."

Oh, man. Where'd I put those hip waders? In case they haven't noticed, the most deadly attacks on our country come from foreign shores. You're going to punish terrorists? How? Do you really think Iraq (or whoever) is going to extradite them to face trial here in the USA? This is just bullshit terminology to get it passed. Pull out the terrorism scare card. You won't get a single "terrorist" with this.

" Earlier this year, Smith said: "Until we secure our cyberinfrastructure, a few keystrokes and an Internet connection is all one needs to disable the economy and endanger lives."

Ha. Haha. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! OK, Smith, let's see you hop on your laptop and bring the world economy to a screeching halt with a few keystrokes.

What CSEA does:
- Promise life terms for computer intrusions that "recklessly" put others' lives at risk.

Does anyone doubt that every single hacking case that comes to court will fall under this? Loose, subjective terminology is the prosecutor's friend.

- Permit limited surveillance without a court order when there is an "ongoing attack" on an Internet-connected computer or "an immediate threat to a national security interest.

Ongoing attack, eh? Better not ping any name servers.



Of course, this is nothing compared to the "Know Your Customer" laws they've been trying to foist on banks. Look 'em up and enjoy.

SpaceAce