backtop


Print E-mail del.icio.us 52 comment(s) - last by SiN.. on Dec 2 at 7:12 PM

McKinnon is expected to finally be extradited to face charges in the U.S.

Accused hacker Gary McKinnon is set to finally be extradited to the United States to face a number of computer hacking charges stemming from his intrusion into U.S. government computer networks.

British officials said they cannot halt McKinnon's extradition any further, despite years of stalling and legal posturing by the U.S. government, British government, and McKinnon's attorneys.  Some human rights experts have stepped up to say the accused hacker suffers from Asperger's Syndrome, a unique form of autism, and extraditing him to face charges in the United States is cruel and inhumane.

"Due to the legitimate concerns over Mr. McKinnon's health, we have sought and received assurances from the United States authorities that his needs will be met," said British Home Secretary Alan Johnson.

Last month, the British High Court said McKinnon should be extradited to face charges, but the U.S. government must ensure he will be properly taken care of.

McKinnon, who admitted to hacking into the computer networks, stated he was looking for evidence the U.S. government covered up the existence of alien life.  His intrusion into networks used by NASA, U.S. Air Force, Army and Navy, and Department of Defense is still considered the "biggest military hack of all time."

If found guilty, the U.S. government has announced he will not be held in a "supermax" high-security facility that houses some of the most notorious criminals convicted in the United States, with a fear he may be sent to Guantanamo Bay.



Comments     Threshold


This article is over a month old, voting and posting comments is disabled

wow
By S3anister on 11/27/2009 4:14:04 AM , Rating: 2
It's about time...




RE: wow
By eddieroolz on 11/27/2009 9:09:19 AM , Rating: 2
Agreed.

Perhaps its time for people to think of consequences before they commit to an act. This will certainly teach him.


RE: wow
By intelpatriot on 11/27/09, Rating: -1
RE: wow
By Iketh on 11/27/2009 9:12:24 PM , Rating: 2
wow lol, i let out a hearty laugh at the obsurdity of this post


RE: wow
By exanimas on 11/27/2009 10:54:25 PM , Rating: 3
Dude, this is Daily Tech, not 4chan.


RE: wow
By petrosy on 11/29/09, Rating: -1
RE: wow
By neogrin on 11/30/09, Rating: 0
RE: wow
By Ammohunt on 11/30/2009 2:50:13 PM , Rating: 3
Its true americans have bigger dicks than Europeans and we know how to use them!


RE: wow
By macthemechanic on 11/28/2009 12:46:33 AM , Rating: 2
Good


About time
By Beenthere on 11/27/2009 10:31:12 AM , Rating: 1
McKinnon is just a scumbag hacker who got caught hacking 97 computers and doing $800,000 in damages. He should be treated like any other scumbag criminal and spend the next 35+ years in a U.S. prison and repay the $800K in damages plus costs of prosecution and incarceration.




RE: About time
By MrWho on 11/28/2009 2:44:49 PM , Rating: 2
Please elucidate me where someone hacking 97 computers supposedly looking for proof of alien existence can make $800k in damages. Did he cause any kind of unscheduled rocket launch or something?


RE: About time
By Cront on 11/30/2009 5:13:38 AM , Rating: 2
Apparently script kiddies can do MASSIVE damage lol


RE: About time
By tmouse on 11/30/2009 8:21:07 AM , Rating: 2
Simple really when the break-ins were detected there were multiple actions initiated. To track the person responsible, to determine what was viewed, altered and deleted, analyze its impact the list goes on and on. This easily added up to hundreds of thousands of dollars. This "he was just a UFO seeker, with a severe mental condition" is just a load of crap and slowly evolved as he kept losing ground on his extradition proceedings. He left messages on the system bragging of his intrusions and files were deleted from the systems. I keep hearing about the punishment is far more than the crime with the MAXIMUM sentence being used all of the time. He was offered a plea bargain of 3-4 years in a minimum security prison, with repatriation to the UK within 18 months and the chance of parole after only two years, providing of course he did not cause trouble while incarcerated. 2-4 years is more than fair. He tried to avoid ANY punishment and caused all of this trouble for himself. There was absolutely NO chance of being sent to Guantanamo, ever, that was just a smoke screen to get another appeal. I have no sympathy for this guy. I highly doubt he will get 10 years which boils down to maybe only 3 with good time. Of course he will not be in a cushy dorm style minimum security prison, but he will not be in a maximum security lockup either.


Here we go with the Xenophobia
By karielash on 11/27/2009 2:30:02 AM , Rating: 2
Xenophobia commence....




RE: Here we go with the Xenophobia
By Noya on 11/27/2009 3:28:19 AM , Rating: 3
Limey bastard.


But...
By Fireshade on 11/27/2009 4:18:20 AM , Rating: 2
Did he find any evidence on E.T.???
A big omission in the whole story... hmmm...




RE: But...
By Regected on 11/28/2009 11:54:06 AM , Rating: 2
In his initial interviews, he said he did. He said the found evidence of a space based military presence along with a whole slew of other things. He has not released any files giving a few very dumb reasons.


Gary McKinnon vs. Donald Rumsfeld
By vailr on 11/28/2009 12:19:56 AM , Rating: 2
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld announced that 2.3 trillion dollars was somehow "missing" the day before the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, of crashing passenger jets in NYC & Washington, DC. Gary McKinnon somehow caused "$800,000 damage" to Defense Department computers, via 56k dialup modem connection from his mother's basement in England. Yet only Gary McKinnon is being hounded by prosecutors. Does this make any sense at all?




By Regected on 11/28/2009 12:00:12 PM , Rating: 2
It makes perfect sense. All the evidence of what happened to the money was in building number 7 at world trade center plaza. Only the third metal framed building in history to fall due to fire.


Nothing Better
By dark matter on 11/27/09, Rating: -1
RE: Nothing Better
By Dribble on 11/27/2009 4:49:34 AM , Rating: 5
If one bloke with limited skills can walk right into the heart of protected US networks then what do you think the trained and organised teams of Russians, Chinese, North Koreans and Iranians will all have been doing?

They should thank him for showing how completely insecure their systems were, however instead of concentrating on the real dangers they've decided to squash they little guy.


RE: Nothing Better
By magneticfield on 11/27/2009 7:07:25 AM , Rating: 1
True.
He also said that he was not the only one connected, when e was in. There were many others from all over the world.

BTW, they should stop calling him a hacker, he's nowhere near that.


RE: Nothing Better
By Iketh on 11/27/2009 7:22:46 PM , Rating: 2
lolwut?! Greatest military hack EVER?? How else can you get this title?


RE: Nothing Better
By HighWing on 11/30/2009 9:19:29 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
If one bloke with limited skills can walk right into the heart of protected US networks


I agree with you, however you are forgetting one thing. Ask any computer security expert what the best way to prevent a determined hacker from entering your system is, and they will almost immediately say "unplug it from the internet" It's a known fact in the computer world that a determined hacker/cracker is one thing you can not prevent against. Instead they employ measures to detect, track and trace when it does happen so they can catch the one responsible, and prevent that from happening again.

This persons claimed mental illness only fueled the huge determination he needed to make the hack work. Fact is many people have "hacked" the government computers. We just don't hear about it because they were detected, and caught before they did anything /got anything.


RE: Nothing Better
By Reclaimer77 on 11/27/2009 5:15:01 AM , Rating: 1
He broke the law. Period. Enough with this silly bullcrap being posted because you and your ilk hate the US. We get it, ok? It still doesn't change the fact that if roles were reversed, you would be calling for his head.

And bringing up his supposed "disability" as an excuse is gutless. You don't give two shits about this kid, you only care because the US is involved and you get to reinforce your twisted belief that we're the big bad guys in all of this.


RE: Nothing Better
By jabber on 11/27/2009 5:30:27 AM , Rating: 4
I think the issue here is if the shoe was on the other foot and it had been a US citizen that had hacked MI5/MI6 and the UK asked for him to face charges in the UK the US would just falt out refuse and that would be the end of that. No discussion entered into etc. etc.

The US/UK special relationship is more akin to wife battery than a true 'friendship'.


RE: Nothing Better
By dark matter on 11/27/2009 5:39:07 AM , Rating: 2
The views expressed by myself were entirely my own opinions, my own viewpoint. I don't expect you to agree with me, just hear me out. However judging from your reply you seem to have serious issues. Who exactly are "my ilk"? I was speaking only for myself.

As it happens I quite like Americans. Its your government I have the problem with, but then again I don't like governments across the board. I am not so shallow or naive to believe that governments actually speak on behalf of their people. In that respect I don't mind Iranians as I know they all don't want to destroy Israel. In fact most Iranians live in fear from their government.

I do believe my point is valid, but then that is my opinion. As for assuming that I hate you, you really need to get out more dude. Come over to Manchester, UK, and I will take you out for a few drinks just to show how much I don't hate you. Fair deal?


RE: Nothing Better
By Reclaimer77 on 11/27/2009 7:04:28 AM , Rating: 1
Sorry it just REALLY grates me when people are soft on crime or sentimental to criminals. That's part of the reason we have such a huge crime problem. It's almost as if we lack the will to tell right from wrong anymore and apply the required punishments for those wrongs.

You made a comment that basically boiled down to " well they (US gov) are just trying to save face because they were so easily hacked ". I have seen similar comments numerous times in several different stories about this kid, and it angers me. You can deny it, but I feel that you and others are being purposely dismissive because the United States is involved. If you leave your house unlocked, and I walk in and steal your TV, I don't get a free pass because you shouldn't have left your house unlocked. Sorry, I go to jail if you press charges. Well, the United States is pressing charges on this kid.

Do you understand that the simple ATTEMPTING of what he did was a crime ? It doesn't matter how far he got or how difficult it was, what he did was a crime. And if you honestly can't swallow your prejudices and accept that, then I guess I was right in my opening post.

Also what kind of message would we be sending to other would-be hackers if we let this punk off the hook ? It's far too easy for someone to sit on their computer from thousands of miles away, enjoying the feeling of anonymity over the internet, free of prosecution. The line must be drawn, and an example must be made.

It's not like I'm happy my tax dollars are going to feed and shelter yet another asswhipe that's not even a citizen. But I don't see anyone coming up with a better idea. All I see is people being biased and making excuses. Don't do the crime if you can't do the time.


RE: Nothing Better
By michael67 on 11/27/2009 8:53:25 AM , Rating: 2
quote:
Sorry it just REALLY grates me when people are soft on crime or sentimental to criminals. That's part of the reason we have such a huge crime problem. It's almost as if we lack the will to tell right from wrong anymore and apply the required punishments for those wrongs.


Sorry but its not like being hard on criminals is helping getting crime down in the US (whit 2% of its citizens is in jail 0_o)

Whit the US attitude of once a criminal always a criminal.
In the Netherlands and in Norway ware i now live, people getting out of jail are about 10x less likely to repeat there crimes as people out of the USA.

They look at criminals 2 fold
1 punishing part
2 what can we do so the criminal doesn't repeat his crimes, like education, relocate and most important if possible to keep his crime antonym, so he doesn't get out-casted by the whole of society
We only got 0.1% of our society in jail.


RE: Nothing Better
By michael67 on 11/27/2009 11:36:11 AM , Rating: 2
I real love the EDIT button we have here on DT

Correction in the Nr's its "only" 0.7% of US citizens that are jailed.

antonym = anonymous


RE: Nothing Better
By intelpatriot on 11/27/2009 8:57:45 PM , Rating: 1
America has more men in prison because our men are real men.

Our rape statistics are ten to twenty times Europe's.

We are bigger. Y'all are just jealous and try to call it "obesity". Our dicks are bigger and we aren't afraid to use them unlike the homo-men in europe.


RE: Nothing Better
By Iketh on 11/27/2009 9:14:26 PM , Rating: 1
lolllllllllllll god dude you're killing me


RE: Nothing Better
By michael67 on 11/28/2009 1:46:05 AM , Rating: 1
Hehe, if i could give it i would give you a +5, LOL


RE: Nothing Better
By dark matter on 11/27/2009 9:06:42 AM , Rating: 2
You are completely missing my point. The issue wasn't that he shouldn't be penalised, I never stated he shouldn't.

In the future I suggest you actually take the time to read what people have read rather than jumping on your high horse and going out all guns blazing.

My point was that there are a lot worse people than this chap. A LOT. If you want to see justice done then this putting this guy in the slammer for 60 years is not justice in my eyes.

You either apply the law fairly to all or not at all. As far as I am aware this guy did nothing malicious unlike the great majority of attacks on US and UK infrastructure.

I would also like to point out that just because a law exists does not make that law

a) Just
b) Proportional

You seem to me to be one of those people that never think about actually challenging the validity of certain laws. In your eyes it is black and white as you state "don't do the crime if you can't do the time".

There are lot of people in various countries around the globe that would disagree with this statement. Certain countries have "laws" where it is forbidden to disagree with the government or breach certain "laws" that violate the freedom of speech (you know, the very freedom that enables me to critise your government). Are you stating that their population "should not do the crime if they don't want to do the time" or that I should be silenced for disagreeing with your government actions? This is the impression I am getting from you. I may be wrong of course but it's certainly how you are coming across to me.

One final suggestion is that if reading others viewpoints on this and other websites angers you just because their opinion is not in line to yours then you really need to address that as it is not healthy.


RE: Nothing Better
By Reclaimer77 on 11/27/09, Rating: 0
RE: Nothing Better
By michael67 on 11/28/2009 1:43:27 AM , Rating: 2
There is a philosophical differentials between punishment systems

The US system is about that the criminal gets punished for his crime piriot

Most Europeans country's look at it different, what is best for society and the criminal , and what can we do to prevent this from repeating.

Sometimes this means a criminal get a light sentence, sometimes a hard one, but always there is in jails also a social worker, and criminals getting treated whit respect.

In Holland we have something called TBR, for mainly for sex and physical criminals but also for other criminals, ware there criminal behavior is grounded from something in the past.
It means that a criminal after his first part of his sentence, the punishment part, he is going to a psychiatry jail facility for as long as it takes, (this could mean the rest of his life ore 1 month til he is declared safe to re-inter grade in normal society)

If i would kill someone in anger i would get jailed for a X amount of time.
But if someone whit anger issues would kill someone he properly would get a shorter sentences but whit TBR, they will try to find out why he got these problems abusive father for example and get him in to therapy for that.

And there are also some rare people there that will never get out even do there crime was not that severe but they are for example a sociopath that cant be helped.
They get send to a nice comfortable place where they can do what they want, they just will never get out.

But a tougher jail regime dose not work, you only create tougher criminal's, look at the Russian mafia the are the worst criminals in the world because they have all ready bin in hell so everything you do them means noting.

And the US is going the same way.

quote:
United States Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility (ADX)

Abbreviated “ADX Florence” by those who know it, and “Hell on Earth” by those who are in it, this penitentiary is an example of the new Supermax facilities popping up all over the country. Scrapping the original idea of decorating from IKEA, designers opted to make everything in the cell out of cement, including the bed. Outside the rooms, laser beams, attack dogs and pressure pads guard the area between the 12-foot fence and the facility. Most of the 500 inmates spend 23 hours a day in solitary confinement, and even that one remaining hour is spent without any social interaction


Those people, when they get out of jail are going to be completely disconnected whit society.
Would love to have one of those as my neighbor when they get out of jail.

But getting back ontopic, whats the point of sending him to jail for 10~20 years?

1. its going to cost a lot of money.
2. wouldn't had a other punishment worked just as well?
3. Did he do it because he wanted to destroy ore have financial gain.

And how is going to punish the Admin's, if i leave my car keys in my car i get a ticket for making a crime easily possible.


RE: Nothing Better
By Regected on 11/28/2009 12:15:08 PM , Rating: 2
The thing i want to see happen in this case is to have the trial in the country where the guy was when he committed the crime.


RE: Nothing Better
By SiN on 11/27/2009 9:43:48 AM , Rating: 1
how about doing the intelligent thing and fixing your security so that it doesn't happen again. when you connect your svit to the internet it's your OWN responsibility to protect what YOUR sharing.

crime happens everyday without justice, why do you have the right to take someone from a foreign land when they didn't break any law while in your country - part of the principle of boarders is that laws exist on YOUR shore.

the guy broke some US law in the UK. You probably all break some 'other' countries law every day. God know's how many females walk around without covering their shoulders from prying eyes in the western counties, who would face a beating or death in some counties.

Some people here want to believe that the people against the guy being brought to the US are simple american haters without a clue. You the people of america terrorizing eastern countries and forcing your will because you feel it your right to protect your own land?

politicians are your biggest criminals, and a fool are you to try and tell me otherwise

I and I. Then there's you.


RE: Nothing Better
By MamiyaOtaru on 11/27/2009 8:54:10 PM , Rating: 2
Instead of prosecuting that guy for robbing you, why don't you do the intelligent thing and get a better lock for you door? Or you do both. I'm sure NASA and the DoD etc did attempt to improve their security afterwards, but that doesn't mean you ignore the crime. And yeah it's all well and good to say he committed a crime according to US law while in the UK so the US should ignore him, but his crime was perpetrated, thanks to the internet, against US assets in the US.

I'm with that other guy. I can't believe how many people want to see him walk away with a slap on the wrist and not be accountable for his actions.


RE: Nothing Better
By SiN on 12/2/2009 7:12:26 PM , Rating: 1
i never said to let him walk away with a slap on the wrist. but the penalty for what he has done seems a bit steep. he should be imprisoned in the UK by UK courts under UK law

its ridiculous to think the US internet laws have jurisdiction in the UK so that they may take anyone at will. if i download an album from an american artist, should i also be prosecuted for stealing and imprisoned in the US for something i did in the UK?

this is simply america flexing its will and the UK is being it's bitch.


RE: Nothing Better
By dragunover on 11/29/2009 10:51:02 PM , Rating: 2
Right, because you're mister humanity who only serves others!
Go tell your lies to someone else.


RE: Nothing Better
By Amiga500 on 11/27/2009 8:33:18 AM , Rating: 1
P-A-R-A-N-O-I-D

(BTW - if the situation was reversed I would be applauding him for showing the ineptitude of yet another govt department)


RE: Nothing Better
By knutjb on 11/27/2009 11:02:49 AM , Rating: 2
You mean like who ever released the east anglia climatology e-mails?


RE: Nothing Better
By TSS on 11/27/2009 9:36:01 AM , Rating: 2
quote:
And bringing up his supposed "disability" as an excuse is gutless.
*This* is why i'm glad he's lost.

Don't get me wrong, i wish him the best in his US court case. But the above quote is exactly the effect him hiding behind his disability has brought about.

As a Asperger syndrome patient myself, i can say it *is* a disability. At the very least it's just that the rest of the world isn't accustomed to our behaviour. Born into beeing a social outcast isn't fun, yknow.

But it sickens me he hid behind it. It doesn't limit your ability to think logically, and certainly doesn't limit your ability to see that if you hack the US government they are going to come for you.

If he where successfull, half the people would start to think AS patients are cripples (to my suprise it's already viewed as quite a "severe" mental disability) while the other half would think their all faking it as an excuse to be lazy (see above quote). It also sickens me that these "human rights groups" support him in this, as it leads to a deterioration of human rights for all other AS patients.

So, i'm glad he lost this one.


RE: Nothing Better
By dark matter on 11/27/2009 11:26:41 AM , Rating: 2
I don't think he has "hid" behind it. I believe its his parents who did this.

Look, here in the UK we have people we cannot deport due to their "human rights". Those people have attempted to blow people up. Some have "raped" women and young girls.

Yet some guy who was probably not aware of the seriousness of his actions we hand over without question, and this guy has caused "NO" material damage, at least not in this country.

All those people coming down against me have not answered my question fully.

Where do they get the $500,000 figure from? And how come the estimated time in prison is 60 years?

Come on guys? 60 years for logging onto a computer system? Is that REALLY worse than raping or car jacking someone?


RE: Nothing Better
By jabber on 11/27/2009 1:06:39 PM , Rating: 2
I dont have an issue with the fact he broke the law in the US and yes he may have caused some 'damage' (well actually more likely embarrassment and what price do you put on that?).

The problem is this got out and made a lot of powerful folks look stupid. They want revenge essentially and to make an example of this guy. That means a farcical show trial whereby justice and proportion will go out the window.

In the end I feel it will do the US more harm if they go at it like rabid dogs (oh so thats justice, US style?).

Yes he did wrong, yes he should face some penalty but a fair penalty and only similar treatment to what would happen if it had been (as I mentioned before) a US citizen had hacked UK Govt. systems.

This situation isnt going to help anyone if it continues on the path it's on right now.


RE: Nothing Better
By mdogs444 on 11/27/2009 1:18:02 PM , Rating: 2
If he was punished in the UK system, he'd probably receive a stern scolding from someone shaking their pointer finger....then let go with an additional welfare check, a months worth of free housing, free health insurance, a note slipped in his pocket saying "vote for the liberal party".


RE: Nothing Better
By drycrust on 11/27/2009 10:50:42 AM , Rating: 1
As I understand it, he broke US Law. If he had broken UK law then there would be no need to extradite him, the US would just need to supply the evidence to the UK police and ask them to prosecute him.
Which does raise an interesting question: At which point does the laws of a foreign country apply? Until now it has been they don't. "Ignorance of the law not being an excuse" only applied in the country you lived in. But now the US Government wants THEIR laws to apply around the world. So do they mean just Federal laws or state laws as well? And do state laws for one state apply in all states?
Of course, I'm sure there are other countries, e.g. China, Iran, ... New Zealand, which will argue that if that is the case, why can't their laws apply around the world as well. New Zealand has Anti Nuclear legislation - does this apply around the world? The US Government should clarify which country's laws he has broken because currently they and a whole lot of other countries are in violation of New Zealand's anti nuclear legislation.


RE: Nothing Better
By Director on 11/27/2009 3:52:41 PM , Rating: 2
Completely agree. This is the second time (that I know of)now that Empire USA has extradited people from other countries who committed no crimes on US soil but broke one of the mighty US's ludicrous 'laws'. Global fascism, thy name is America.


RE: Nothing Better
By Uncle on 11/27/2009 5:10:19 PM , Rating: 2
Try this for size about the "Holier then Tho Yanks". A gent from Vancover BC Canada sells pot from a store in Vancouver and the police have turned a blind eye for years. He sells seeds all over the world including the USofA and the Yanks charge him and convinced the Canadian government to extradite him and they succeeded. He's now in Seattle serving a five year term.
This is the same country that wouldn't sign on with the rest of the world to be able to be charged with War crimes if committed by their soldiers. The yanks love to make money at the suffering of others.In 2002, the International Criminal Court was created to judge the worst crimes on the planet. America helped create the ICC, yet the current US administration strongly opposes this court. Screw the Geneva Convention, At that time the US was in the midst of its so-called 'war on terror". In 2002 the US unsigned the Rome Statute. The risk, as US administration sees it, is that actions that it considers necessary to win a war, could be defined as war crimes by this court. What come to mind, Guantanamo, water boarding, that the tip of the iceburg and the Yanks are wondering why no one is rushing out to kiss their feet. The Yanks like to live in the past. The difference between now and then is, the Yanks built an army to help the less fortunate, if the less fortunate had something they wanted and could steal. Now the Yanks have to have an army to protect themselves from the less fortunates they screwed over all these years.


RE: Nothing Better
By mdogs444 on 11/27/2009 9:41:43 AM , Rating: 2
quote:
there is nothing better than bullying a guy who did nothing maliciously and is suffering from a disability

He broke into computers that were not his, and he knew that. I'd say that's more than nothing.

Disability? Seriously, you're one of those pansies that thinks its legitimate to hide behind this "aspergers" crap? That's a bunch of bull. That's like saying every single unruly kid has autism. Or saying a killer should be given less of a sentence because of the insanity plea....as if we didn't all know that killing someone is insane to begin with.

Seriously man, grow up, quit your whining. People do the crime, they have to do the time. This whole thought of "empathy" in the courtroom stinks.


RE: Nothing Better
By dark matter on 11/27/2009 11:22:58 AM , Rating: 2
Nothing to do with empathy in the court room. Just that your courts have gone for an easy target. Nothing more, nothing less.


"There's no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share. No chance." -- Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer














botimage
Copyright 2010 DailyTech LLC. - RSS Feed | Advertise | About Us | Ethics | FAQ | Terms, Conditions & Privacy Information | Kristopher Kubicki