House OKs life sentences for hackers

WASHINGTON, July 15 — The House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly Monday to create a new punishment of life imprisonment for malicious computer hackers. By a 385-3 vote, the House approved a computer crime bill that also expands police ability to conduct Internet or telephone eavesdropping without first obtaining a court order.

By a 385-3 vote, the House approved a computer crime bill that also expands police ability to conduct Internet or telephone eavesdropping without first obtaining a court order.

Geez, they just totally ignore the constitution now .... it's not even an afterthought.

the House approved a computer crime bill that also expands police ability to conduct Internet or telephone eavesdropping without first obtaining a court order.

Time to start encrypting everything :\

Someone might want to suggest to Jim that he move this site to a secure server. While they're at it, they might want to notify every webmaster in the country.

I strongly suspect that the definition of "hacking" in the bill is so broadly defined as to mean potentally anything, including harmless and even possibly legal activity. I'm reminded of a Kentucky state law regarding "hacking" that clearly prohibited doing literally anything to any computer system (that would include posting this message) that was only somewhat recently nullified when a court found it to be overbroad.

Life sentences for crackers (hackers)?? Congress is going overboard on this "security" issue.

http://www.theregus.com/content/55/25621.html

The US House of Representatives has approved a bill which raises the penalty for computer crime to a maximum of life imprisonment.

Crackers who put lives at risk, either knowingly or through "reckless" behaviour, could be sent to jail for life under measures in the Cyber Security Enhancement Act, which the house yesterday passed an overwhelming majority by 385 votes to three.

The bill also seeks to impose tougher sentencing regimes for computer criminals.

Controversy, however, centres on measures designed water down ISPs responsibility to protect their users data and turn into government snitches.

The bill encourages ISPs to report suspicious activity on their networks (whatever that might be), even if it poses no immediate threat, and shield them from lawsuits from anyone objecting to such privacy intrusions. Service providers are also required to keep customer records, including emails, for 90 days, under the bill.

Civil liberties groups are concerned that the Act will erode Internet privacy because it could give law enforcement agencies leverage in obtaining records from service providers without the tedious business of obtaining a search warrant.

The bill has to go to Senate, where it is expected to receive little opposition, before becoming law. ®
Register USA

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