On Mon, Sep 24, 2001 at 04:52:04PM -0700, Roland Minden wrote:
> I saw this on /. so you may have already read it, but this could be the
> start of a sliding sh** hole.
>
> http://www.securityfocus.com/news/257
Scary stuff indeed. The salient points of the article:
* Congress is getting heavy pressure to give sweeping powers to
law-enforcement agencies to combat terrorism
* Malicious hackers are named in the bill in the same category as
hijackers and suicide bombers.
* There is little time for discussion because of the frenzy
My interpretation: this is a dangerous path for the country. Law enforcement
necessarily does not look into a person's heart; it looks at the evidence.
This legislation defines hacking (might as well drop the 'malicious' part,
since that is a person's heart) as evidence for terrorism. But why? There is
a world of difference between a teenage social missfit who likes to play with
exploits and portscanners and someone who, driven by a lifetime of hatred,
attempts to kill himself and others in a blaze of glory.
Note also that terrorism is a national defense issue, versus ordinary crime
which is a matter for local police. This is a set-up to allow the various
national security agencies to be allowed sweeping powers to spy within out
borders---a first for the USA.
At some point one need to ask where it should stop.
--
Henry House
OpenPGP key available from http://romana.hajhouse.org/hajhouse.asc
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