Not a popular position, but...
> He is clearly trespassing (hacking) on my property (server).
Are these lines really so very clear?
> If the server crashing would risk lives, he has committed a great crime.
Yes, a felony. Involuntary manslaughter would probably stick if lives were
lost and the causation clear.
> If the server crashing means almost nothing, he has committed a minor
crime.
Yes, again a felony depending on the circumstances.
> Both are crimes (assuming the proper law for these crimes exist).
A lot of things are crimes. I'm not condoning any of it, but there is
something that feels different from trespassing on your property when the
crime is someone's bits finding their way onto your wire. Is it really so
clear that it's the same thing?
How about the kids who tried to find out if they were accepted by Harvard.
They "hacked into a web-server" ... by removing the filename from the URL
and following a link in the directory listing. Is that to become a felony
next? Is it already?
Again, I take no part in any of this "hacking" and don't condone it, but is
it wrong to ask the questions?
I know... | cat > politics
But I haven't hit Send yet. Bah,
~ Daniel
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