Gary McKinnon

[Fzero]

will not be extradited to US.


he lives local to me and been in the local papers about his hearing today.


just been confirmed a while ago


the US system will have to just make do with hamza and his boys

 

[Trip]

Good call

 

[Wrath Of Khan]

Who?

 

[Trip]

The guy who hacked all those computers in America. The American government wanted him to serve his prison sentence over in the USA instead of over here in the U.K.


They should be thanking him for showing them an extreme weakness in their security IMO. You leave your door open and you can't really complain about getting robbed.

 

[WizardStan]

They should be thanking him for showing them an extreme weakness in their security IMO. You leave your door open and you can't really complain about getting robbed.

I strongly disagree. I should be able to have faith in the intelligence and goodness of people to be able to leave my house and return to find it fully intact. I can't because some people are assholes, but I shouldn't be held responsible for someone else's choice and I should be allowed to complain when the choices they make are wrong.


Furthermore, supposing I did agree with that, this wasn't just someone walking in through a wide open door. They had security, it just wasn't sufficient for the types of attack he was using. In your door analogy, it was like they had closed the door and dead bolted it, and Gary came along and demonstrated how easy it is (for someone with the right tools and the proper training) to open their deadbolt. Perhaps this revealed some flaws in their security, but if someone smashes in your window to steal your TV are you then going to thank the thief for pointing out that you really should have all your windows replaced with security windows? Maybe give him a job doing all the upgrades for you? Of course you won't, you'll want him arrested and complain about how you just can't trust people anymore.

 

[Trip]

That was a bad analogy but the point is that this was the department of defences computer system. The guy wasn't a really top class hacker and yet he still got in. I find that a little more worrying than someone breaking into a house.


He shouldn't have been able to get anywhere near something that important, so yeah, I feel it was better that somebody quite harmless like him got in first and that they get to shut what could have been a very fatal security flaw, than if someone with destructive intentions found it and the end result costed lives.


I never said that he shouldn't be charged for it, did I? Of course he should.

 

[Fzero]

Not to disagree with your thoughts entirely WizardStan, I agree with your thoughts on being able to leave your house and return to find it intact.


This guy didn't smash windows and steal a telly though, ok he breached some access, but he [so claims and I don't disbelieve] was just looking for UFO info, being a keen UFOlogist [that the term?]


Bearing in mind the guy has a number of conditions including aspergers, which would likely heighten his interest in UFOs...


Not looking to strictly disagree with you as I say, but I do think the 60 years imprisonment that the US wanted to serve him is a little harsh... He didn't ruin their systems, he simply went to seek what he probably thought was truth on UFO and whilst there, dropped them a little readme on how their system wasn't as secure as it perhaps should've been.


That was my understanding of it anyhow.


People that break into others homes and nick tellies, personally, I would give a harsher sentence to than this guy. That is a lower act of behaviour imo

 

[Trip]

Exactly.


The only reason the American government seem to want him expedited is because he embarrassed them. I don't think that's a good enough reason to throw his rights out of the window and do whatever they want with him. He's already been found guilty and sentenced by the laws that he broke in this country. That should be enough IMO.

 

[Null]

will not be extradited to US.

Excellent news is excellent.

 

[WizardStan]

Not to disagree with your thoughts entirely WizardStan, I agree with your thoughts on being able to leave your house and return to find it intact.


This guy didn't smash windows and steal a telly though, ok he breached some access, but he [so claims and I don't disbelieve] was just looking for UFO info, being a keen UFOlogist [that the term?]

Oh yeah, I'm making no comment on Gary's specific behavior except in its misuse in Trip's analogy. The analogy was bad, I just wanted to point that out.


I don't know enough about the specific case to make definite assertions about whether it is a good or bad thing that he isn't being extradited (good thing, at a high level glance, but I'm not officially making that statement).

 

[gunrock]

I think it's bad to be extradited for nothing particularly major. He did them many favours, I think (except the global humiliation). However another part of me thinks that the "I might kill myself" plea, is not a valid reason to not extradite. I'm pretty sure we wouldn't try a criminal in the UK because he or she may kill himself.


Does he really have aspergers? Seems a bit convenient, but quite willing to believe it's true.

 

[Null]

Just thought i'd leave this here.


http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20730627

 

[Fzero]

nice one


hopefully he'll get a decent night's sleep now

 

[elwing]

lol, isn't the useless security expert that compromised secret data the one that really deserve some jail?


and also if an amateur gets caught that way I'dd be more worried about the professional they didn't catch...

 

[Fzero]

exactly and exactly, good point


scary what's going on in world unseen/known