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| Pardon Gary McKinnon and recruit more hackers, US government urged | Pardon Gary McKinnon and recruit more hackers, US government urged |
| (about 17 hours later) | |
| A leading military thinker has urged President Barack Obama to pardon the British computer hacker Gary McKinnon as part of a wider bid to recruit "master hackers" to US Cyber Command. | A leading military thinker has urged President Barack Obama to pardon the British computer hacker Gary McKinnon as part of a wider bid to recruit "master hackers" to US Cyber Command. |
| John Arquilla, a professor of defence analysis at the US Naval Postgraduate School, said forgiving McKinnon – who faced extradition for hacking into Pentagon and Nasa systems – could encourage other hackers to become government cyber warriors. | John Arquilla, a professor of defence analysis at the US Naval Postgraduate School, said forgiving McKinnon – who faced extradition for hacking into Pentagon and Nasa systems – could encourage other hackers to become government cyber warriors. |
| "If the notion of trying to attract master hackers to our cause is ever to take hold, this might be just the right case in which President Obama should consider using his power to pardon," Arquilla wrote in the journal Foreign Policy. | |
| "One presidential act of mercy, such as in the case of McKinnon, won't entirely repair relations or build trust between hackers and the government, but it would be a strong signal of officialdom's growing awareness of the wisdom of embracing and employing the skills of these masters of their virtual domain." | "One presidential act of mercy, such as in the case of McKinnon, won't entirely repair relations or build trust between hackers and the government, but it would be a strong signal of officialdom's growing awareness of the wisdom of embracing and employing the skills of these masters of their virtual domain." |
| The US Justice Department tried for a decade to extradite McKinnon after accusing him of carrying out the "biggest military computer hack of all time" from the bedroom of his north London home. McKinnon, who has Asperger's syndrome, was seeking information about UFOs. | The US Justice Department tried for a decade to extradite McKinnon after accusing him of carrying out the "biggest military computer hack of all time" from the bedroom of his north London home. McKinnon, who has Asperger's syndrome, was seeking information about UFOs. |
| The British home secretary, Theresa May, halted the extradition on humanitarian grounds last October after a high-profile effort by campaigners and politicians who said McKinnon, now aged 46, suffered from depression and could kill himself if put on trial in the US. He faced up to 70 years in jail. | The British home secretary, Theresa May, halted the extradition on humanitarian grounds last October after a high-profile effort by campaigners and politicians who said McKinnon, now aged 46, suffered from depression and could kill himself if put on trial in the US. He faced up to 70 years in jail. |
| The US State Department expressed dismay and the charges remain in place, a signal of Washington's aggressive pursuit of hackers who break into government computer systems. | The US State Department expressed dismay and the charges remain in place, a signal of Washington's aggressive pursuit of hackers who break into government computer systems. |
| Aaron Swartz, an internet pioneer and open data crusader, killed himself last month while fighting federal hacking charges and a possible 35-year prison term. | Aaron Swartz, an internet pioneer and open data crusader, killed himself last month while fighting federal hacking charges and a possible 35-year prison term. |
| Arquilla, who has advised the Obama administration on cyberwarfare, a term he coined two decades ago, told the Guardian last July that the the US should recruit rather than prosecute top hackers in the same way it enlisted German rocket scientists after the second world war. | Arquilla, who has advised the Obama administration on cyberwarfare, a term he coined two decades ago, told the Guardian last July that the the US should recruit rather than prosecute top hackers in the same way it enlisted German rocket scientists after the second world war. |
| He called McKinnon's prosecution ridiculous and counterproductive given that terrorist groups, Russia, China and other powers used master hackers, leaving the US lagging in the cyber race. | He called McKinnon's prosecution ridiculous and counterproductive given that terrorist groups, Russia, China and other powers used master hackers, leaving the US lagging in the cyber race. |
| McKinnon's mother, Janis Sharp, thanked Arquilla and asked him to lobby for a pardon for her son. | McKinnon's mother, Janis Sharp, thanked Arquilla and asked him to lobby for a pardon for her son. |
| She expressed delight on Tuesday when told had done so. "This is amazing. And means everything to us. | She expressed delight on Tuesday when told had done so. "This is amazing. And means everything to us. |
| "Should Obama accede – probably a remote prospect, at least in the short term – it would show he cared about a mother's concern for her vulnerable son, said Sharp. "It means that I would feel secure in the knowledge that Gary would be safe forever, even after I've gone." | "Should Obama accede – probably a remote prospect, at least in the short term – it would show he cared about a mother's concern for her vulnerable son, said Sharp. "It means that I would feel secure in the knowledge that Gary would be safe forever, even after I've gone." |
| She said Arquilla understood that hackers were like "shy woodland creatures" who could be foolish but meant no harm. | She said Arquilla understood that hackers were like "shy woodland creatures" who could be foolish but meant no harm. |
| Arquilla's article followed reports that the US planned to quintuple the size of Cyber Command to about 5,000 computer experts and hackers. Concern about cyber attacks rose last week after the New York Times reported that hackers in China targeted the paper in apparent retaliation for articles detailing wealth accumulated by the family of outgoing premier Wen Jiabao. | Arquilla's article followed reports that the US planned to quintuple the size of Cyber Command to about 5,000 computer experts and hackers. Concern about cyber attacks rose last week after the New York Times reported that hackers in China targeted the paper in apparent retaliation for articles detailing wealth accumulated by the family of outgoing premier Wen Jiabao. |
| Arquilla said ramping up IT education and training schemes would not fill the government's cyber gap fast enough and that it should recruit master hackers who can "walk right through firewalls". | Arquilla said ramping up IT education and training schemes would not fill the government's cyber gap fast enough and that it should recruit master hackers who can "walk right through firewalls". |
| They were best equipped to lead explorations of "virtual inner space" but found themselves persecuted. "Hackers may be courted and pampered in China, Russia, and other countries, but in the United States they are often hunted by lawmen." | They were best equipped to lead explorations of "virtual inner space" but found themselves persecuted. "Hackers may be courted and pampered in China, Russia, and other countries, but in the United States they are often hunted by lawmen." |
| The professor said he knew several master hackers. "What they have in common – aside from a kind of startling intelligence – is a deep attraction to the beauty and complexity of cyberspace. They are not motivated by a desire to disrupt; if anything, they are devoted to free, secure flows of information, believing that virtual liberty will often be the herald of freedom in the 'real world'." | The professor said he knew several master hackers. "What they have in common – aside from a kind of startling intelligence – is a deep attraction to the beauty and complexity of cyberspace. They are not motivated by a desire to disrupt; if anything, they are devoted to free, secure flows of information, believing that virtual liberty will often be the herald of freedom in the 'real world'." |