 Earlier this month I wrote about Gary McKinnon, a British fellow who allegedly hacked into 97 military and NASA computers. That’s what we call illegal, my friends. He claimed that his efforts were for the greater good – to expose UFO conspiracy cover-up by the U.S. government and highlight network weaknesses that could pose a more serious problem to real enemies. Unfortunately for Mr. McKinnon, the government was not pleased by his “benevolent” actions, and is looking to charge him with eight counts of computer fraud in Virginia and New Jersey – the states which house the networks he cracked. 
So what’s the catch? Sounds like a regular lawsuit to me. It all comes down to jurisdiction and citizenship, I’m afraid. The U.S. government is looking to have McKinnon extradited across the pond so that he can face American courts. But Wednesday’s current events show that might not be as easy as first thought. On Wednesday, Brian Rohan reported with Reuters that some issues have cropped up in the case. The European Court of Human Rights released a statement requesting authorities to put off McKinnon’s extradition until it can more closely examine his case and personal complaint. What could an accused hacker have to complain about that people would want to listen to? According to Reuters, he expressed concern that he “could face inhumane prison conditions if convicted in the United States.” His lawyers further contend that the extradition “would breach his human rights,” fearing that a jury would try him based on his “nationality or political opinions” more than his alleged criminal actions. The European Court of Human Rights included in its statement that McKinnon “should not be extradited to the United States before midnight on 29 August,” the day after its next scheduled meeting. At that meeting on the 28th, the court would reexamine his plea to determine whether or not extradition is the most optimal route. |
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