Kids, Computers, and the Law

[€uroMeinke]

Originally Posted by Ghoulish Delight

I believe the 13 that were charged were ones that attempted (and succeeded) to hack the replacement password that they changed it to one they discovered the problem of the password being public.

Hmmm, I read it that they had "unapproved imagry" feleony-teen-porn possession

None-the-less, the state didn't seem to have the stomach to prosecute them

[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally Posted by €uroMeinke

Hmmm, I read it that they had "unapproved imagry" feleony-teen-porn possession

None-the-less, the state didn't seem to have the stomach to prosecute them

The story I heard was felony computer tamporing, or something like that.

[TigerLily]

Originally Posted by Ghoulish Delight

Nothing like a little personal responsibility. "They ddin't stop us from breaking the rules, it's the administration's fault!"

this argument is the ONLY argument I ever hear from my child.. "it's not my fault!" "I didn't do anything wrong!" "they made me mad!" .."I shouldn't have gotten susupended! My friends broke the soda machine I just picked up the money when it fell out!" "It's grandmas fault her cell phone bill is $1000.00. If she hadn't have taken texting off of my phone I wouldn't have had to impersonate her to get it back on...and I was mad at her so I used it alot." (yeah I said NO cell phones unless they are pre-paid. I know my kid. My mother gave her one linked to her bill???)....I figure it is a teenage thing, but the day she actually admits something is her fault I may faint.

If my child did this to a school computer inside I may be happy she figured it out, but she would still be in BIG trouble because of her history of misbehaving. I can't cut my child in slack. If I give her an inch she will run for 10 miles and it's very difficult to get her back in line.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

I think the hacking itself and placing of blame are two very different discipline issues.

[€uroMeinke]

I confess, I would make a lousy parent

[Not Afraid]

Originally Posted by €uroMeinke

I confess, I would make a lousy parent

Yes, that's why Scoundrel is so bad!

[tikiboy]

What these kids are experiencing is nothing new. People who hack into computer systems "for fun" or to even showcase a system vulnerablities are always punished harshly.

Ask Dan Farmer, the creator of SATAN -- Security Administrator Tool for Analyzing Networks. He'd run the SATAN tool on business' networks, then go to them saying, "Here's why your security sucks." And he got in a lot of trouble for it.

The kids in this case should be punished - though not to the extent the school district is asking for. They could have done a lot of damage at a time where school districts don't have a lot of $$ to pay computer folks to restore thier systems. On the other hand, I'll be the school didn't empasize the point enough how much damage can be done. They never do....

Hacking into a system is no different than breaking into a brick and mortar storefront. Unfortunatly young kids these days aren't being taught that.

Now I'll delve into history that would cause my wife to just walk away:

==================================

Hackers are just that: Hacks. Back in the day people broke into systems and wrote viruses to soothe their unaccomplished egos. Writing a computer virus requires very few smarts, but a lame-o is going to think he's cool or "smart." That's why everyone else calls them hackers.

People who can act as computer security specialists are referred to as "crackers." Though I'm sure that term is not used as frequently today as such. I ususally hear it when riding the Blue line in LA, "Hey Cracker! Give it up!!," Which translated to "Excuse me sir? Would you mind extending a charitible contribution?"

[€uroMeinke]

Originally Posted by tikiboy

Hacking into a system is no different than breaking into a brick and mortar storefront. Unfortunatly young kids these days aren't being taught that.

Heh - back in my school days we would tape over the locks of the school room to gain access during recess and go through people's desks. We also took blank hall passes and readmittance slips, and added check marks to the roster indicating that we had served our detention.

It's a shame these skills are no longer passed down to the younger generations...

[Betty]

Originally Posted by TigerLily

If my child did this to a school computer inside I may be happy she figured it out, but she would still be in BIG trouble because of her history of misbehaving. I can't cut my child in slack. If I give her an inch she will run for 10 miles and it's very difficult to get her back in line.

I would agree with you on the getting them to take responsibility. At the same time though, don't you agree that felony charges are out of proportion with the offense committed?

I think the idea of creating a class that funnels these students into finding ways that channel that energy into something productive would be helpful. Let the students, with the help of a administrator who knows what he's doing, come up with creative ways to solve the problem. Nowadays, many companies hire hackers to teach them about their own security flaws and how to fight being hacked.

[TigerLily]

Originally Posted by Betty

I would agree with you on the getting them to take responsibility. At the same time though, don't you agree that felony charges are out of proportion with the offense committed?

they aren't going to get charged with felonies. I think their website already says that.

I have found that schools will throw around over the top punishments to scare kids and parents, but usually back down. When my child picked two quarters off the ground from when her friends broke the soda machine she got suspended for 3 days. When the school authorites were questioning the kids to find out how the machine was broken my daughter came forward first, explained it was happening daily for two weeks, told who broke the machine and who took the money daily and then IMHO she made the biggest mistake by saying "when all the money came out yesterday I did take 2 quarters off the ground." Yes she should have been honest and she was, but for her honesty she got suspended and i did tell the school the only lesson she had learned was not to be honest or come forward again. Then the school told me they turned it over to the sherriff dept. and she could be charged with a misdemenor. ...yeah, nothing came of it, but still. I really have low opinions of most school from what I've seen them do and say.

hmmm maybe this is why my child refuses to admit fault anymore...who knows....