On April 6th we ended class with a discussion about various hackers and hacktivist NGOs, and I said that we would continue this discussion. For this week, I would like you to discuss whether or not Gary McKinnon, a hacker from the United Kingdom, should be extradited to the United States to face charges of computer crime as defined by the US "Computer Fraud and Abuse Act" for unauthorized access to US military and space exploration agencies' computers (US DOJ 2002). This is an interesting and highly complex case study of the multi-jurisdicitonal nature of cybercrime/terrorism and also is very useful for thinking through exactly what type of hacking can really be considered "criminal" and/or "terroristic".
I would like you to review at least several of the recent BBC stories about this hacker, and also look at the website that has been set up in his defense, and then discuss if he should be extradited. What if Mr. McKinnon was a citizen of the Kyrgyz Republic, would you still either support or oppose his extradition?
BBC Coverage.
April 3, 2007: UK hacker loses extradition fight.
Pro-McKinnon Website.
Free Gary McKinnon.
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