Although not exactly Linux related, this item is significant to share.
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http://www.securityfocus.com/news/257
NEWS
Hackers face life imprisonment under 'Anti-Terrorism' Act Justice
Department proposal classifies most computer crimes as acts of terrorism.
By Kevin Poulsen
Sep 23 2001 11:00PM PT
Hackers, virus-writers and web site defacers would face life imprisonment
without the possibility of parole under legislation proposed by the Bush
Administration that would classify most computer crimes as acts of terrorism.
The Justice Department is urging Congress to quickly approve its
Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), a twenty-five page proposal that would expand the
government's legal powers to conduct electronic surveillance, access
business records, and detain suspected terrorists.
The proposal defines a list of "Federal terrorism offenses" that are
subject to special treatment under law. The offenses include assassination
of public officials, violence at international airports, some bombings and
homicides, and politically-motivated manslaughter or torture.
[...]
To date no terrorists are known to have violated the Computer Fraud and
Abuse Act. But several recent hacker cases would have qualified as "Federal
terrorism offenses" under the Justice Department proposal, including the
conviction of Patrick Gregory, a prolific web site defacer who called
himself "MostHateD"; Kevin Mitnick, who plead guilty to penetrating
corporate networks and downloading proprietary software; Jonathan "Gatsby"
Bosanac, who received 18-months in custody for cracking telephone company
computers; and Eric Burns, the Shoreline, Washington hacker who scrawled
"Crystal, I love you" on a United States Information Agency web site in
1999. The 19-year-old was reportedly trying to impress a classmate with
whom he was infatuated.
[...]
