Cidersomerset
14th July 2012, 13:16
I thought I would have a look for a update on the Gart McKinnon 'persacution case...
Maybe noises going in sensible direction!!
Gary McKinnon hacking prosecution called 'ridiculous' by US defence expert
Hackers like McKinnon should be recruited, not prosecuted, if the US wants to dominate cyber warfare, one expert says
Rory Carroll in Monterey
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 10 July 2012 17.36 BST
http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2012/7/10/1341937224427/Gary-McKinnon--008.jpg
Computer hacker Gary McKinnon is a potentially invaluable human resource, a US government adviser says. Photograph: John Stillwell/PA
A US government adviser on cyber warfare has criticised the efforts to extradite the computer hacker Gary McKinnon from Britain, saying such people should be embraced rather than prosecuted.
John Arquilla, a professor of defence analysis at the US Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, said the US authorities were squandering a potentially invaluable human resource and that his extradition would not deter other hackers.
"Personally I think it's ridiculous. And punitive. They're attempting to create a deterrent effect that will not deter and is slowing our progress," he said in an interview with the Guardian.
McKinnon, of Wood Green, north London, claims he was looking for evidence of UFOs when he hacked into 97 Nasa and Pentagon computers from his flat in 2002. His case has become lightning rod in Britain for campaigners against the UK-US extradition treaty, which they say is one-sided.
McKinnon, who has Asperger's syndrome, was arrested in June 2005, and an order for extradition was made in July 2006. The case has dragged through the courts since then.
Arquilla said the US government should think about hiring rather than prosecuting hackers like McKinnon. "There are other places in the world where these communities are embraced by official authority, and these are places that are becoming great cyber powers. The analogy is as if after world war two the Russians were using these rocket scientists while we put the ones we got on trial and incarcerated them."
He said there were some people in the US government who shared his view that hackers should be hired, not prosecuted. "There are good people in many different departments of the US government that are open to this idea, but they are a tiny minority."
Arquilla said that because of hackers' backgrounds in illicit activities, it is hard to get them security clearance. "How can we have a master hacker in our system if we can't get clearance? We have to create a new kind of institutional culture that allows us to reach out to these diverse kind of actors."
Not all at the Naval Postgraduate School were as keen on master hackers. Dorothy Denning, an information security expert at the college's department of defence analysis, expressed compassion for McKinnon but balked at the idea of recruiting him. "It's a sad case. He obviously has some personal problems. I wouldn't want to hire him. But maybe he is someone who doesn't belong in prison either."
She acknowledged the skill of certain hackers but ruled out hiring them if they were committing illegal acts. "It's one thing snooping into other people's computers when you're 13, 16, 18, but if you're still doing that when you are 30 or 40, that's something else."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jul/10/gary-mckinnon-hacking-prosecution-us
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Mother of Gary McKinnon, Janis Sharp talks to George Galloway
PVohcwJxWME
Published on 10 Jun 2012 by OwilsonO
Janis Sharp, Gary McKinnon's mum speaks to George Galloway about Gary, Aspergers and the 10 year wait for justice. In 2002, while looking for evidence of UFOs, Gary discovered that many many NASA and Pentagon computers had no passwords setup or firewalls installed. Shocked by this he left numerous notes warning them that their security was deeply flawed. In response to this America demanded Gary's extradition to face 60 years in an American prison. Janis has been fighting for her son ever since.
Project Camelot interviews Gary McKinnon
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fNsah-0vpY&feature=related
Maybe noises going in sensible direction!!
Gary McKinnon hacking prosecution called 'ridiculous' by US defence expert
Hackers like McKinnon should be recruited, not prosecuted, if the US wants to dominate cyber warfare, one expert says
Rory Carroll in Monterey
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 10 July 2012 17.36 BST
http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2012/7/10/1341937224427/Gary-McKinnon--008.jpg
Computer hacker Gary McKinnon is a potentially invaluable human resource, a US government adviser says. Photograph: John Stillwell/PA
A US government adviser on cyber warfare has criticised the efforts to extradite the computer hacker Gary McKinnon from Britain, saying such people should be embraced rather than prosecuted.
John Arquilla, a professor of defence analysis at the US Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, said the US authorities were squandering a potentially invaluable human resource and that his extradition would not deter other hackers.
"Personally I think it's ridiculous. And punitive. They're attempting to create a deterrent effect that will not deter and is slowing our progress," he said in an interview with the Guardian.
McKinnon, of Wood Green, north London, claims he was looking for evidence of UFOs when he hacked into 97 Nasa and Pentagon computers from his flat in 2002. His case has become lightning rod in Britain for campaigners against the UK-US extradition treaty, which they say is one-sided.
McKinnon, who has Asperger's syndrome, was arrested in June 2005, and an order for extradition was made in July 2006. The case has dragged through the courts since then.
Arquilla said the US government should think about hiring rather than prosecuting hackers like McKinnon. "There are other places in the world where these communities are embraced by official authority, and these are places that are becoming great cyber powers. The analogy is as if after world war two the Russians were using these rocket scientists while we put the ones we got on trial and incarcerated them."
He said there were some people in the US government who shared his view that hackers should be hired, not prosecuted. "There are good people in many different departments of the US government that are open to this idea, but they are a tiny minority."
Arquilla said that because of hackers' backgrounds in illicit activities, it is hard to get them security clearance. "How can we have a master hacker in our system if we can't get clearance? We have to create a new kind of institutional culture that allows us to reach out to these diverse kind of actors."
Not all at the Naval Postgraduate School were as keen on master hackers. Dorothy Denning, an information security expert at the college's department of defence analysis, expressed compassion for McKinnon but balked at the idea of recruiting him. "It's a sad case. He obviously has some personal problems. I wouldn't want to hire him. But maybe he is someone who doesn't belong in prison either."
She acknowledged the skill of certain hackers but ruled out hiring them if they were committing illegal acts. "It's one thing snooping into other people's computers when you're 13, 16, 18, but if you're still doing that when you are 30 or 40, that's something else."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jul/10/gary-mckinnon-hacking-prosecution-us
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mother of Gary McKinnon, Janis Sharp talks to George Galloway
PVohcwJxWME
Published on 10 Jun 2012 by OwilsonO
Janis Sharp, Gary McKinnon's mum speaks to George Galloway about Gary, Aspergers and the 10 year wait for justice. In 2002, while looking for evidence of UFOs, Gary discovered that many many NASA and Pentagon computers had no passwords setup or firewalls installed. Shocked by this he left numerous notes warning them that their security was deeply flawed. In response to this America demanded Gary's extradition to face 60 years in an American prison. Janis has been fighting for her son ever since.
Project Camelot interviews Gary McKinnon
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fNsah-0vpY&feature=related