On Friday Chief U.S. District Judge Loretta A. Preska handed down a 10-year maximum sentence to convicted hacker Jeremy Hammond.
In May of this year, Hammond pleaded guilty to one conspiracy charge, for hacking private intelligence firm Stratfor and several websites. Hammond's hacking resulted in email correspondence, financial and personal data, as well as thousands of private credit card numbers being released to the public.
Hammond has supporters
Some people are comparing internet activism to civil disobedience. A Rolling Stone magazine article headline reads, " Cyber-Activist Jeremy Hammond Sentenced to 10 Years In Prison. " In the Rolling Stone article they state that supporters see Hammond's case as being about "acts that are better understood as civil disobedience than rampant criminality."
Hammond and his lawyers played upon the internet activism angle comparing his hacking to acts of civil disobedience similar to Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela.
A cocky and defiant Jeremy Hammond shouted out to his supporters in the courtroom, "what's up, my brothers."
In a prepared statement read at his sentencing Hammond stated, “Acts of civil disobedience are in line with the principles of equality that governed my life … I felt I had an obligation to use my skills for justice and bring the truth to light,”
Government disagrees with activism angle
The government argued Hammond's acts served no public good. In handing down the maximum sentence Judge Loretta A. Preska disagreed with the comparison to civil disobedience.
Judge Preska stated, "Mr. Hammond seems to think of himself as a modern-day Robin Hood,” but concluded that there was "nothing high-minded or public spirited about causing mayhem." Judge Preska was referring to the phrase "maximum mayhem" Hammond used in a chat log to describe what he hoped would come from his hacking.
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What's on your mind today?
Is the point valid, that hacker Jeremy Hammond committed an act of civil disobedience, rather than a serious crime?
Would your opinion be any different if you were one of the victims of having personal data compromised?
If you want to chat, interact, and share a few ideas along the way, look for Tom Peracchio on the net ... The Guru 42 Blog , @Gu42 on Twitter , Guru42 on Google+ or Guru42 on Facebook .
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