22 year old who guessed Palin's password faces potential 50 year sentence

[Supernovae]

So what is your take on this?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100423/ap_on_re_us/us_palin_hacked

50 years is a stiff penalty for guessing a password. Not to mention the fact Palin illegally used the personal account for work.

[BenBurch]

What he did was a crime.

50 is rather too harsh for it, however.

But also what SHE was doing was a crime.

But guess who will never, no matter what she does, ever be prosecuted?

[mikedenk]

So what is your take on this?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100423/ap_on_re_us/us_palin_hacked

50 years is a stiff penalty for guessing a password. Not to mention the fact Palin illegally used the personal account for work.


The article you posted says he entered her security questions. You attempt to make it sound as if he just started randomly typing and *SURPRISE* ended up in her account.

I like the new terminology though: identity theft = "guessing a password". Maybe burglary could become "guessing which door was left open".

[quixotecoyote]

Sort of like how breaking into an email account now equals identity theft. Maybe peeping in windows can become genocide or something.

[Supernovae]

The article you posted says he entered her security questions. You attempt to make it sound as if he just started randomly typing and *SURPRISE* ended up in her account.

I like the new terminology though: identity theft = "guessing a password". Maybe burglary could become "guessing which door was left open".

Actually, he didn't guess the password. He just did a "lost password" request knowing the answers to her security questions. Either way, it wasn't really "hacked". He just used publicly available information :) Birthday, City where she meet her husband and zipcode. All easily found on google.

He committed a crime, but a 50 year sentence or anything near that is "Cruel and unusual punishment"

After all, Palin's kids got off "Scott free" in destroying peoples houses, stealing liquor and cutting the break lines on school buses :)

[rjh01]

Actually he has not been sentenced to 50 years jail. That is just the maximum penalty.

What he did was like robbing a house that had the front door wide open by Palin. Not sure how he did it though. An e-mail should have been sent to Palin's other e-mail account, not visible on-line.

[quixotecoyote]

Actually he has not been sentenced to 50 years jail. That is just the maximum penalty.

What he did was like robbing a house that had the front door wide open by Palin.

Or walking inside and taking pictures, anyway.

[Supernovae]

Actually he has not been sentenced to 50 years jail. That is just the maximum penalty.



True, but he is being charged with a felony so if he gets anything he'll be doomed for life. Felons have a terrible time getting everything from car insurance to a job to even having the ability to travel outside the country. Not only that but risk losing federal benefits. In other words, illegal aliens will have more rights than this person.


What he did was like robbing a house that had the front door wide open by Palin. Not sure how he did it though. An e-mail should have been sent to Palin's other e-mail account, not visible on-line.

Nah, what he did was like finding a diary that someone left outside and had the combination to it written on the back cover :) It was dumb what he did, but if he didn't, someone else would have. Someone running for such a high office shouldn't have been so naive and so ignorant of the own laws she was willfully breaking (and risks taken therein)

[mikedenk]

Nah, what he did was like finding a diary that someone left outside and had the combination to it written on the back cover :) It was dumb what he did, but if he didn't, someone else would have. Someone running for such a high office shouldn't have been so naive and so ignorant of the own laws she was willfully breaking (and risks taken therein)

I agree that the possible penalty is too harsh... I'm interested to see if he will actually be convicted of identity theft and mail fraud - I haven't heard of those being applied to email before this case. Just a guess: the obstruction of an FBI investigation charge is the one that will end up really hurting him.

Re your analogy of finding a diary: it is quite clear that the man specifically targeted Palin's account. By his own account, he wanted to "derail her campaign". The wikipedia account of the case is short but has some interesting info http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Palin_email_hack

At one point he writes that he was panicked over a possible FBI investigation PRIOR to posting Palin's info - he was fully aware that he was committing a crime.

[Dancing David]

Um, what he did is against the law, the judge , DA and jury decide the punishment.

He made a bigger boo boo, he openly said that he did it.

In many cases this can be pled down, it really depends how he reacted (when confronted) and how much he did.

ETA: I forgot this is Federal case, oops, um they will probably not be forgiving.

[Deetee]

Pretty stupid using "forgotten password" security questions that are common knowledge or easily found out.
Reflects on her own IQ.

[Cuddles]

Re your analogy of finding a diary: it is quite clear that the man specifically targeted Palin's account. By his own account, he wanted to "derail her campaign". The wikipedia account of the case is short but has some interesting info http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Palin_email_hack

At one point he writes that he was panicked over a possible FBI investigation PRIOR to posting Palin's info - he was fully aware that he was committing a crime.

This seems like the killer. If he'd spun it as naive hacking just to see if he could, or maybe blowing the whistle on Palin's own illegal activity, he may have ended up getting off quite lightly. However, he's admitted that he knew it was a crime and that he acted with deliberate malice. 50 years seems ridiculously harsh considering you can get away with just a couple of years for actually killing someone, but there seems little doubt that he deserves at least some jail time for it.

[AvalonXQ]

Not to mention the fact Palin illegally used the personal account for work.

Wait, what's illegal about sending a work email from a personal email account?

[Supernovae]

Wait, what's illegal about sending a work email from a personal email account?

Here is a great break down of the issue:

http://research.csc.ncsu.edu/efg/ethics/papers/2009-1719_E-mail.pdf

I don't think Alaska enforced official email policy until after the Palin issue. Most other states already have this. Oddly enough for any corporation doing business with the state or federal government the policy is enforced with an iron fist... guess if your politician or wanna be politician you're an exception to the laws in place :)

[INRM]

Maybe if he guessed her password, then shot and killed somebody...

[Supernovae]

He was found guilty (of course..) haven't heard what the sentence is to be yet.