This is just too stupid to be true

[machiner]

Read this article:
http://www.boingboing.net/2005/01/27/jailed_for_using_a_n.html

server admin reads a Lynx header wrong, Lynx user arrested for "hack attempt"

My god...I hope this "victim" (if it's true) tears the hell out of the company that hired the server admin, the server admin, and the gestapo police.

This kind of behavior embarrasses me no end.

[rudi]

Whahahaha, ow man, you whould think that the systems manager would check, and double check the logfile before he called the police to scare the sh*t out of someone for using "another" browser! I guess that's another person on the unemployement line http://www.ubuntuforums.org/images/smilies/icon_wink.gif

[Rancoras]

Isn't boingboing a satire site? Sounds like a joke to me.

[machiner]

It HAS to be satire...no admin can be that stupid.

[Jad]

No way!

[deception]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4195339.stm

http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=20973

[oddabe19]

It HAS to be satire...no admin can be that stupid.
Windows admins can....

especially if they learned admin... where i learned admin....


only i'm not that dumb... eitherway


BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

[rudi]

http://www.ubuntuforums.org/images/smilies/eusa_think.gif i am to trustworthy LOL

[BWF89]

What's better, Lynx or Dillo?

[Rancoras]

What's better, Lynx or Dillo?
Off topic, but it depends on whether you want a GUI or not. Lynx is a terminal app, Dillo is GUI.

[Lynx]

It's on slashdot too. This is just wrong... Do we live in a freaking police state? Oh yeah, I forgot, we do. I mean honestly, you would think that due process and all that would have to apply, like actually proving some type of hack happened before arresting somebody?

[akurashy]

LOL! that all i can say LOL
dammit that just.. FUNNY

[jakeslife]

Okay, now everyone download Lynx and and make a tiny donation just to spite them!

[TravisNewman]

Yeah, I thought it was a hoax too until I saw it on bbc and many others. I laughed so freakin' hard at that, after smacking my forehead in a "How can someone be so careless" manner

[machiner]

It's not at all funny. It's wreckless, careless, and criminal in my eyes. Not only should the server admin be fired and make a public apology ( AND on a lynx forum) , (s)he should be ordered to write a policy and not be consiered finished until it passed public scrutiny. As well, the police department deserves a public flogging, re-education, and a civil-rights course. And this should be a catalyst for change.

I'd be friggen livid... and I'd take it right to the source of all FUD - msoft and gov't.

Of course, I'm in am-erica - this happened in London - I'm not at all sure of their laws.
I do know you Brits put up with a lot of privacy intrusions ( a bit more than we do accross the pond) - maybe you should address that - you are seeing where the acceptance of such apathy can go.

I'm going to follow this story.

[Lynx]

Oh, I didn't see that it happened in London. Even so, they way our government has been behaving lately I wouldn't be a bit surprised if it happened in America, although we probably wouldn't admit that it was a mistake so easily. It's still absolutly ridiculous that a person could be arrested just because some stupid admin thinks that they MAY have tried hacking.

[Marquis_de_Carabas]

Hmm... All the BBC story says is that a 28 year old guy was arrested for attempting to hack into the DEC, with no mention of the exact circumstances.

With Boing Boing's source listed as "an email from this guy", I have my doubts about the story's veracity.

It's extremely unlikely that armed police would be sent after a suspected computer hacker. There has to be a good reason for armed police to be despatched in this country. Unless there was reason to believe that the guy was armed himself, it would have been standard uniformed officers who arrested him.

And if armed police had been used, it would definitely have featured in the news reports.

As much as I love Cory Doctorow (any guy who writes great novels and releases them under a Creative Commons license has to be a good thing) I can't help but think he's got this one wrong.

Edit: Just noticed the following on ZDNet (http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/security/0,39020375,39185296,00.htm)


The Metropolitan Police were notified after the attempted hack was discovered on New Year's Eve and blocked by BT, which hosts the secure payment area of the website.

The 28 year-old-man was arrested in London's Bishopsgate area last week.

That's over a couple of weeks between the police being notified and the man's arrest, which hardly sounds like a panicked overblown response.