Do you think the Americans have the right to jail a harmless UK computer nerd Gary McKinnon?

Gary McKinnon was arrested in 2002 following charges by U.S. prosecutors that he illegally accessed 97 government computers -- including Pentagon, U.S. army, navy and NASA systems --I do not believe he caused "damage" any "damage" was the cost of re fireproofing the American computers which should have been done in the first place. He did them a favour and other countries like China and Korea probably used similar hacking procedures and will secretly have done the same thing. No this is revenge in “ jail em all” America for their embarrassment about weak computer defence.

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/GaryMcKinnon/
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The hacking was easy peasy, the Chinese must be laughing at the USA, but the USA will retain some dignity if they have the COURAGE to drop charges against this worried guy

Ollie

Hi,have signed petition now have to go & click the mail they will send to confirm my Id.I agree it's because he has shown them up.He should be released immediately.

blapath

What do you think should be the penalty for someone breaking into your home, sitting in your chair and watching TV and not stealing anything? This person will go to jail as he broke into a place and was somewhere he should be.

The same for somebody broking into a site and browsing around. There is no difference.

Tufty Porcupine

If Mr McKinnon has deliberately tried to hack into computers than he must surely have known that what he was doing was illegal. In that respect, yes it is right that he is prosecuted. Anything else would be to give the green light to anyone to have a go at hacking into confidential information with impunity.

sofia

It isn't "jail 'em all".

It's "jail this man who did something ILLEGAL."

How pathetic is it that he did something illegal and you're saying it was a favor and therefore it's justified?!

A young boy was killed in gang crossfire in East Chicago, Indiana last week. He could've ended up in a gang himself when he was older and he could've killed a lot of people in that gang. So maybe his death was a favor?

Do you see where your logic fails?

If something is illegal - it's wrong.
Yes, there are a lot of worse things going on but Gary McKinnon was caught and therefore deserves any punishment he receives.

And you must keep in mind, maybe he didn't cause any blatant "damage" YET. He could've been planning to or about to before he was caught for all you know.

Pleasant Peter Perkins

I can't really sympathise, as much as I dislike America arresting anyone but their own. He knew what he was doing and if it had been my computer he hacked I would personally pay Bubbas air fare to come over here and pole him.

LawNerd

OK. You say that if some one break into your home should be put on jail and arrested. Now, answer any of you this question?

What should be done to those who invade another country or break in another countries? Like USA did to Iraq, and to many other countries? Someone can just answer this?

? BlueBerry ?

i agree with you, will sign the petition, but he knew the law ... don't do the crime if you can't do the time ...

sorry, can't, im not British ...

lordkelvin

Yep... he broke the law.... Beretta said it best "If you can't do the time... don't do the crime"

Stupid Marxist

Who are you to call him "harmless"?

Apparently he broke the law and should now pay the price

If a burglar breaks into your home, but fails to steal anything he is still in violation of the law. And in MY home, he will forfeit his life for this intrusion, which is my right under the Castle Doctrine.

You are obviously a Brit. Too bad your country has been thoroughly emasculated...you lost your gun rights, banned fox hunting, banned the death penalty, even your police don't carry guns...you have no collective manhood left.

crusader rabbitt

Too bad they can't send him to Gitmo.

Ronald M

yes, I hope he gets poled by bubba

geronimo

hey, for a country that believes mickey mouse is real what the fek do you expect

Terry

When you break the laws of a country - any country - then you can expect them to prosecute. I don't know if what he did would have been considered against the law in the UK - is it OK to break into the MOD computer systems there? In any case, what he did was illegal in the US, so yes, he can be tried an convicted here.

The US has an extradition arrangement with the UK, so someone who breaks US laws and is living in the UK can be sent to the US for trial.

mnwomen

Do the crime do the time. Whether he caused damage or not doesnt matter. He illegally hacked in to the government computers where he had no business going. What part of illegal dont you understand?

Scout

Thats the Yanks for you, bullies.

Jamieson

American security and freedom.......I'm sad to say means a loss of privacy and control from the rest of the world.

hateisnotgood7

Tom S

Americans have the right to do ANYTHING they want! The powerful should rule the earth.. The Romans kicked butt for a thousand years.. The problem with Americans is they have this stupid system of thinking that anyone's opinions are valuable.. They listen to their minorities like they were gods... They are powerful now, but they are going to die on the vine like pusssy fruit.

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