Poor ol' Mitnick (Was: LAW: Bar Associations and Monopolies)

From: Zero Powers (zero_powers@hotmail.com)
Date: Mon Apr 24 2000 - 21:13:51 MDT


>From: "Gina Miller" <nanogirl@halcyon.com>
>
>He still is not allowed to use a computer, even since his release. He also
>was invited to many computer security conference to speak. One was held on
>NASA property, NASA discovered this, and would not allow him on their
>property. (even though it is not illegal to have been convicted and to step
>on gov. property)

It is unfortunate that Mitnick has become the poster boy for two different
factions. For the feds, he represents all that is inherently evil in those
mysterious hackers who know more about computer tech than mere mortals. For
the hacker sub-culture he represents all that is inherently evil in a
government which unfairly, unethically and unlawfully persecutes them
without just cause.

In reality Mitnick is probably neither as sinister or dangerous as the feds
portray him, nor as harmless and unfairly treated as the hacker sympathizers
portray him. He just happened to be doing the wrong things at the wrong
time in history. The one thing everyone seems to agree on is that he *was*
doing naughty things with his computers that caused him to run afoul of the
developing law of the 'net. I think his story is chock full of lessons for
all.

-Zero

"I like dreams of the future better than the history of the past"
--Thomas Jefferson

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