Extradition creeps ever closer for computer hacker
British computer hacker Gary McKinnon is now closer than ever to being extradited to America. McKinnon, 43, is charged with hacking into several US armed forces computers in late 2001 and causing $700,000 of damage. McKinnon has not disputed the accusations and has readily admitted his guilt. If tried in a US court he could face up to sixty years in prison.
In the seven years since his arrest in November 2002, the McKinnon family, along with several human rights lawyers and organisations, have campaigned against his extradition. This has failed, and an appeal to the High Court in July 2009 was unsuccessful. There has been little opposition to the extradition by the UK government, the Home Secretary Alan Johnson has stated he “cannot block” the extradition.
Chris Hume the Liberal Democrat Home Affairs spokesman has criticised Alan Johnston saying “The Home Secretary should stop being an American poodle and start being a British bulldog.”
McKinnon successfully managed to hack into Pentagon and NASA computer systems. He claims, he simply searched for users who had not set a password on their accounts. The US efforts to have him extradited are seen by many as an effort to save face after a humiliating breach of security. Even a change of administration in the USA, from Bush to Obama, has not dampened the USA’s desire to see him tried, despite frequent pleas by his mother Janis to both Presidents. This has led to further criticisms of the 2003 Extradition Act, which allows the USA to request any UK citizen be sent to it for trial, while the UK is unable to ask the same.
The motivation for McKinnon’s searching was to try and find hidden data on UFOs and free energy, which he claimed had been concealed from the general public. He says he discovered a high-resolution image of UFOs, but was unable to download them due to the relatively slow speed of his Internet connection and the danger of being caught.
Despite the Home Secretary’s decision, the saga may not be over yet. The European Court of Human Rights can still be petitioned, as well as appeals on numerous rulings. There is also, of course, the possibility that a change of government next June could see a more benevolent government on the side of the McKinnons.
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