Poll: Should Gary McKinnon be extradited to the US for hacking?

[stockhausen]

He's not being charged with terrorism offences, and he was offered a much lower sentence which he refused.

Good to see that he's lost his latest attempt. Roll on the extradition.

In a legal nightmare that has lasted seven years, and cost untold millions to taxpayers both here and in America, the US Justice Department is persisting in its demented quest to extradite 43-year-old Londoner, Gary McKinnon.

To listen to the ravings of the US military, you would think that Mr McKinnon is a threat to national security on a par with Osama bin Laden. According to the Americans, this mild-mannered computer programmer has done more damage to their war-fighting capabilities than all the orange-pyjama-clad suspects of Guantanamo combined.

And how? He is a hacker. He hacked into the Pentagon, he hacked into the army, the navy, and the air force, and the Americans say he temporarily paralysed US Naval Weapons station Earle, by deleting some files.

In their continuing rage at this electronic lèse-majesté, the Americans want us to send him over there to face trial, and the possibility of a 70-year jail sentence. It is a comment on American bullying and British spinelessness that this farce is continuing, because Gary McKinnon is not and never has been any kind of threat to American security.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/...men---but-it-doesnt-make-him-a-terrorist.html

It is my understanding that he is being extradited to America under a treaty designed to speed up the transfer of terrorist suspect?

The Americans are making complete and utter prats of themselves over this and the British Government is as ever bending over forwards to accommodate the Americans.

 

[PESolution]

he's obv hacked this forum to make the result no tbh

 

[aayzof]

I think he should be extradited.

 

[Adsta]

Pro moves. Would be nice if he cracks a step by step guide on how to do it

 

[RDM]

It is my understanding that he is being extradited to America under a treaty designed to speed up the transfer of terrorist suspect?

I thought it was a treaty designed to speed up extradition in general with the specific bonus of being able to extradite terrorist subjects quicker. Much like the legislation we used to freeze Icelandic assets was a criminal bill that also had uses against terrorism.

The Americans are making complete and utter prats of themselves over this and the British Government is as ever bending over forwards to accommodate the Americans.

Bending over forwards? By giving McKinnon every legal opportunity to challange it? Are they secretly forcing the judges hands in their decisions? The guy even admits he did it so why is he such a poster boy for "injustice"?

 

[swinnie]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7768394.stmNow if they left themselves open that easily, why should he be tried and possibly sentenced to 70 years in prison?

He should be recruited to help them, not beaten down.

Was having that exact discussion today. I think he should be recruited.

I feel the damage they say he caused in an article I read today, is the patching of the holes he found. Could be wrong!

 

[nuclear92]

You get less for murder, so 70 years is oviously ridiculous.

 

[Wicksta]

You get less for murder, so 70 years is oviously ridiculous.

He's being sentenced in America, where you can actually be given the death penalty for murder in many places.

 

[Sankari]

It is my understanding that he is being extradited to America under a treaty designed to speed up the transfer of terrorist suspect?

Your understanding is wrong.

The treaty is designed to allow the extradition of any person accused of any offence punishable by a 12 month or longer sentence in both countries. This covers everything from corporate fraud to child pornography.

The Americans are making complete and utter prats of themselves over this and the British Government is as ever bending over forwards to accommodate the Americans.

Nonsense.

The treaty actually benefits the UK by removing US "statute of limitations" protection. This means that a US offender can be extradited by the UK even if the offence with which he/she has been charged, is no longer prosecutable in the US.

You get less for murder, so 70 years is oviously ridiculous.

Who said that he's getting a 70 year sentence?

 

[Sankari]

Was having that exact discussion today. I think he should be recruited.

Recruited by whom? For what?

He's not even an technically skilled hacker. He got lucky with a password guess; that's all.

"z0mg i guessed my gf's password, cia u gotta hire me now pl0x!"

 

[Energize]

Who said that he's getting a 70 year sentence?

The fact that it's possible to get a 70 yr sentence for such a crime (a victimless crime I might add) is ridiculous.

 

[Sankari]

The fact that it's possible to get a 70 yr sentence for such a crime (a victimless crime I might add) is ridiculous.

It wasn't a victimless crime. The victims were NASA, the US Army, the US Navy, the US Air Force, and the US Department of Defence.

 

[stockhausen]

It wasn't a victimless crime. The victims were NASA, the US Army, the US Navy, the US Air Force, and the US Department of Defence.

All of whom you suggest had the same password - allegedly the default or possibly a blank password.

In this particular case, the "victim" was the US taxpayer who was funding retards as SysAdmins (password = password).

 

[Rroff]

I guess a lot of people have no idea what aspergers is, people suffering from this typically have a warped view of reality, often can't fully grasp right/wrong and what is and isn't appropriate especially in social interaction and suffer strongly from OCD so that even when they can tell what is and isn't appropriate they are often driven to do what they want anyway... they are often extremely gifted at a specific ability usually mathematical. As an example one such person I know can tell you what day of the week it would be for any date instantly.

Case in point I think this needs to be taken into account - this is potentially a very vulnerable person who is likely to be absorbed into the US system where knowledge of this syndrome seems as lacking as many posts in this thread and he'd be condemned in the same manner...

If he really had maliciously hacked into their systems and so on then I think it only right he be extradited but only when we are sure he would be dealt with fairly and given an appropriate sentance... which 70 years is not.

 

[stockhausen]

I guess a lot of people have no idea what aspergers is, people suffering from this typically have a warped view of reality, often can't fully grasp right/wrong ...

Are you suggesting that G W Bush has Asperger's syndrome

 

[Rroff]

Hes not nearly OCD enough

 

[Energize]

It wasn't a victimless crime. The victims were NASA, the US Army, the US Navy, the US Air Force, and the US Department of Defence.

How were they victims? Did it cause them harm? No.

 

[Kennysevenfold]

we should praise him.! not export him.!

 

[Sin_Chase]

The proposed sentences are outrageous.

A person with malicious intent does not leave messages on a system indicating flaws and a big red flashing neon sign saying "I was/am here".

Taking into consideration his mental state, the fact no harm was done and that there was seemingly no malicious intent I do not understand why jail time is even on the table.

A law was broken? Yes, that may be true, and I am not saying that ramifications for the breaking of whatever laws he did do should not be realised, just that some common sense should be exercised.

That may be a far cry however, as the US government sees fit that their embarrassment is a means to append a stronger sentence than the norm for the crime committed.

 

[JimAroo]

They were lucky it was him, if it was anyone else they would have probably caused some serious problems, the US are more in favour of setting an example of him rather than learning from him.