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Gary McKinnon Appeals to Home Secretary

Haddaway   on 04 September 2008 - 19:44 · 15 comments & 3383 views

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Lawyers for a Briton accused of hacking into secret military and Nasa computers are asking the home secretary to ensure he is not jailed in the US. Glasgow-born Gary McKinnon, 42, who last month lost his appeal against extradition, could face life in jail if convicted of accessing 97 computers. His lawyer Karen Todner said his human rights would be breached if he did not return to the UK after a trial.

The Home Office said his case was "receiving consideration". A spokesman said: "Further representations have been received today from solicitors against Mr. McKinnon's surrender to the USA which are receiving consideration." Mr. McKinnon, from Wood Green, north London, was said to be "distraught" after losing his extradition appeal to the European Court of Human Rights. He has admitted breaking into the computers, but says he sought information on UFOs and only got in because of lax security.

View: Full Story at the BBC

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#1 vetneufuse on 04 Sep 2008 - 20:14
before someone starts ripping on the US like always happens... this guy DID commit a crime... he KNOWINGLY hacked a government network, which he should be punished for... hacking at all is still a crime in the USA and the UK
(1 reply) #2 n_K on 04 Sep 2008 - 20:28
The fact the european people all walked out on him signifies why in my opinion they should all be burnt to death
#2.1 +garethevans1986 on 05 Sep 2008 - 16:29
(n_K said @ #2)
The fact the European people all walked out on him signifies why in my opinion they should all be burnt to death


I don't think many of you understand WHY he doesn't want to go to the US.....The US can click their fingers and the UK government is willing to send some sorry soul over to be shafted by the waste of oxygen that is called the US government. But If the UK ask for a US citizen to be sent over to be charged - the US tells them to go screw......which is a one way extradition process between governments.

This is where the quote from n_K comes in - the foreign secretary and UK government has turned their back on a UK citizen and willing to send him to the US without even thinking about what would come of him.

He's admitted he did wrong and is willing to spend time in jail over it - unlike what some of you think. Try reading the background of the whole thing and then replying.

If I was in charge, I would of turned to the US and told them to go screw. He got in because of the lack of security and I'm only guessing that those employees in charge at the time have been given the sack....and I hope so too!

n_K - I only wanted to quote you, not reply to your comment! So don't take this as me having a dig at you!

GE
(2 replies) #3 +chorpeac on 04 Sep 2008 - 20:39
Why are these morons feeling sorry for him? He did what he did, got caught for what he did, and admitted what he did. He's guilty. He should be punished. What is this world doing man? Oh Johnny shot that boy, but he shouldn't be held accountable, he is only 16. He is a bright boy, he just messed up. Yeah, and people like that don't need to be given a second chance. What if...the next time he goes to the next level. In any other time before 1990s, these people would be put away for their crimes....
#3.1 ph0bia on 04 Sep 2008 - 23:52
(chorpeac said @ #3)
Why are these morons feeling sorry for him? He did what he did, got caught for what he did, and admitted what he did. He's guilty. He should be punished. What is this world doing man? Oh Johnny shot that boy, but he shouldn't be held accountable, he is only 16. He is a bright boy, he just messed up. Yeah, and people like that don't need to be given a second chance. What if...the next time he goes to the next level. In any other time before 1990s, these people would be put away for their crimes....


and what would the next level be? im not sticking up for him in any way...but the reality is that he should NEVER have been able to just "walk in" to those systems in the first place...from what he said there was next to nothing for security on these systems and for something so important you have to wonder why it was so easy as he put it to get into them...either way what he did was wrong and he knows it..time will tell what happends to him i guess.
#3.2 +chorpeac on 05 Sep 2008 - 01:24
(ph0bia said @ #3.1)
(chorpeac said @ #3)
Why are these morons feeling sorry for him? He did what he did, got caught for what he did, and admitted what he did. He's guilty. He should be punished. What is this world doing man? Oh Johnny shot that boy, but he shouldn't be held accountable, he is only 16. He is a bright boy, he just messed up. Yeah, and people like that don't need to be given a second chance. What if...the next time he goes to the next level. In any other time before 1990s, these people would be put away for their crimes....


and what would the next level be? im not sticking up for him in any way...but the reality is that he should NEVER have been able to just "walk in" to those systems in the first place...from what he said there was next to nothing for security on these systems and for something so important you have to wonder why it was so easy as he put it to get into them...either way what he did was wrong and he knows it..time will tell what happends to him i guess.


My guess is that he just broke into any random computer, which is why there were so many. When you are rummaging through something, you just quickly go from one drawer to the other to find something. However, if it is one or 100, it is still breaking into it. However he did it, stealing an admins password, or whatever, he did what he did. Oh and the "next level", use your imagination....
#4 ir0nw0lf on 04 Sep 2008 - 20:55
asking the home secretary to ensure he is not jailed in the US


Um, W-T-F? Send his sorry butt to the US, face trial, be found guilty, no jail time in US? Man, I'd love to commit a crime in another country only to be found guilty and face no jail time in that country! What are they wanting, him back in the UK after a trial in jail having tea and crumpets??
(1 reply) #5 Airlink on 04 Sep 2008 - 21:15
But he DIDN'T commit a crime in the US. He never even entered the US. All his crimes were committed on UK soil.
#5.1 ir0nw0lf on 05 Sep 2008 - 00:28
It can be *very* easily argued both ways. This is where law needs to catch up with the electronic/internet age. The real question to be answered: what jurisdiction should hold, the physical location of the person and computer used *or* the destination of the hack? A typical crime has the accused and the location of the crime one and the same. Both possibilities are reasonable, and that's going to make it very very hard to hammer a law out I'm sure.
#6 DATmafia on 05 Sep 2008 - 03:41
This is yet one more example of how the Internet and the countries who use it need to update and create laws that govern this kind of crime. If I use the Internet in the UK or the US it's still the Internet and if I break in or do damage to a computer connected to the Internet geographic location has nothing to do with the fact that the crime can be committed from anyplace in the world. If I was on a cargo ship with a satellite Internet connection and broke into those computers and through logs they were able to determine that the crime was committed in International waters you don't think they wouldn't still have prosecuted the crime? Because of human rights organizations plea for extradition would the punishment after trial be to rot in International waters because that's where the crime was committed? I think this Briton should rot in jail in the US. He was dumb enough to hack into another governments computers from the comfort of his flat no matter what the excuse. Not to mention he must not be that bright since he believes in UFO's, perhaps the aliens will take sympathy on him and come and get him from the US prison and probe him just like he's always wanted and drop him off back at his flat. He should not have been allowed to rent Mars Attacks if you ask me, ;-) (Lets see if any other Neowinians have a sense of humor or if it's all just a bunch of whiny geeks bellyaching.)
#7 SonicSam on 05 Sep 2008 - 07:05
Just so you guys have some sort of perspective on this guy, I worked with him at a UK ISP in the late 90's and early 00's, he was a nice chap, he wore jumpers all the time and smoked roll-ups, not a terrorist or some super spy hacker, just a nerd who liked computers and like a lot of people back then was into comms, alien conspiracies and had probably watched War games a few hundred times and this is the height of programs like the Xfiles etc.

When your playing in the net one system is much the same as another, it's a world outside of reality and Gary was more engaged with that world than the real world around him, the intent I am sure was never malicious other than the wish to bring the US secrets about UFO's to the public.

So is he guilty of his crimes, yes but was his intent to cause damage to these systems, no way. At the moment he is being used as an example because he is the only example that thay have, I would be sure plenty of people have hacked the US governments systems if Gary did, it's just Gary wasn't clever enough to avoid being caught.
#8 boho on 05 Sep 2008 - 07:59
From what I understand this guy is not the sharpest knife in the drawer, and used the most simple script tools to "break into" some of the USA's most sensitive computer systems.

Just as well he was not Al CIAda (Al Qaeda) or some other Terrorist organization... But then I suppose Terrorist organizations are full of incompetent nutters not capable of pulling off such dastardly acts (9/11 )
#9 techbeck on 05 Sep 2008 - 14:22
The US will get him...bend him over...pump him a few times...and then give him a good paying US Government job.

It doesnt matter if he was trying to do damage or not. The fact of the matter is that he broke in to a government network which is illegal REGARDLESS IF THERE IS DAMAGE OR NOT!. There is a reason why networks are secure...or supposed to be secure

He got caught and now is whining like a little school girl because he doesnt want to pay for his crimes.
#10 +Lt-DavidW on 05 Sep 2008 - 23:08
No, no, no, no. Gary accepts that he deserves to do time. What he disagrees with is being made a scapegoat and getting life imprisonment as an example to others.
#11 +AJR1 on 07 Sep 2008 - 01:04
Whatever the United States of America call it, its a farce!

He got into those systems using a method that cannot even be considered a "hack".

If Garry McKinnon can carry out the "biggest military hack of all time" then what hope does the United States have against a much more advanced and resourceful foe, such as the CyberGeeks of Uberness that reisde within the Peoples Democratic Republic of China.

I respect that yes, in the eyes of the law he may have broken it, but i ask you this.

If a house is left unlocked and we walk in, can we be indicted for burglary?

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