Anonymous Hacktivist Gets Youth Rehabilitation Order

[Karloff]

Anonymous Hacktivist Gets Youth Rehabilitation Order

Jake Burchall is the last of the four PayPal hackers to be sentenced.

Jake Burchall, who was under-age at the time of the offense, has been given an 18 month youth rehabilitation order (YRO) for his part in the PayPal hack that cost the company £3.5 million ($5.5 million) [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/120766-Court-Told-Wikileaks-Backlash-Cost-PayPal-3-5-Million]. Burchall is the last of the four Anonymous PayPal hackers to be sentenced; the others all received jail terms, though in the case of Peter Gibson - whose role was relatively minor compared to the others - one sentence was suspended.

Christopher Weatherhead [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/120981-Court-Finds-Anonymous-PayPal-Attacker-Guilty], the only one of the four to contest the charges, has been given an 18 month prison sentence, more than double the time that any of his co-defendants will serve. The judge made it clear, in his closing remarks, that he would have preferred to give Burchall a custodial sentence as well, but his age meant that prison was off the table.

"I have to sentence you as a young person," said Judge Testar. "I think you should do some unpaid work," he added, "particularly as a recognition of the fact you have committed offences which have caused damaged and you must pay some of the damage back." Burchall was ordered to carry out a 60-hour unpaid work requirement, in addition to the order.

A YRO is essentially community punishment, often carrying with it various requirements or conditions; in Testar's view, one of the conditions of this YRO had to be that Burchall - who played a prominent role in the PayPal hack - must learn "to get out of bed in a morning and do unpaid work."

Source: Guardian [http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2013/feb/01/anonymous-teenage-hacker]


Permalink

 

[Nieroshai]

A YRO is essentially community punishment, often carrying with it various requirements or conditions; in Testar's view, one of the conditions of this YRO had to be that Burchall - who played a prominent role in the PayPal hack - must learn "to get out of bed in a morning and do unpaid work."

So you're saying the poor kid never went to school? No wonder he turned to hacking!

This was not said. Nice try at a joke though.


I find it funny that while this site sees fit to post all things Anon, their most recent video hasn't been mentioned yet.


I find this more important than the rather lenient sentencing of a mere mote of the collective.

 

[Legion]

I wish this site would stop referring to them as hacktivists. It almost glamorises them, as if they are actually doing something worthy or supporting a real cause.

 

[TKretts3]

I wish this site would stop referring to them as hacktivists. It almost glamorises them, as if they are actually doing something worthy or supporting a real cause.

You took the words right out of my mouth.

 

[tangoprime]

A YRO is essentially community punishment, often carrying with it various requirements or conditions; in Testar's view, one of the conditions of this YRO had to be that Burchall - who played a prominent role in the PayPal hack - must learn "to get out of bed in a morning and do unpaid work."

So you're saying the poor kid never went to school? No wonder he turned to hacking!

This was not said. Nice try at a joke though.


I find it funny that while this site sees fit to post all things Anon, their most recent video hasn't been mentioned yet.


I find this more important than the rather lenient sentencing of a mere mote of the collective.

I was just coming to Escapist to post that after seeing it last night, then I caught this story on here. Thanks for posting it. I was wondering how it went over a month without THAT one being referenced, when everything else with their name mentioned gets a news story on here...

 

[Erttheking]

So in other words he got off pretty damn easy.

 

[maninahat]

I wish this site would stop referring to them as hacktivists. It almost glamorises them, as if they are actually doing something worthy or supporting a real cause.

You took the words right out of my mouth.

Really? "Hacktivist" reminds me far more of hacks than hackers. I know they are going for the latter, but by refusing to just call them "activists", the term carries the stigma of a person who'll only protest from their chair, like a slacktivist.

As for the crappy pro-gun anonymous video...pfff. there's always a video from someone claiming to represent anonymous. I suppose, as an anarcho-commune, anyone can represent anonymous, but in general, these videos are the product of one man crusades; dependant on using the anonymous' name to threaten, but lacking any real support from a group.

 

[Jumwa]

I wish this site would stop referring to them as hacktivists. It almost glamorises them, as if they are actually doing something worthy or supporting a real cause.

What's a "real cause" if not supporting Wikileaks against censorship?

By all means, disagree with their cause and how they acted on behalf of it, but the sensationally jaded cynicism that would cause someone to claim it isn't even a cause at all comes off as bizarre rather than 'mature' or 'deep'.

Most of those guys are going to suffer the rest of their lives with powerful stigmas attached to them. Think it was stupid of them, think it wasn't a worthwhile cause, but it was a cause and they paid a price for it.

 

[Legion]

I wish this site would stop referring to them as hacktivists. It almost glamorises them, as if they are actually doing something worthy or supporting a real cause.

What's a "real cause" if not supporting Wikileaks against censorship?

They take down websites for censoring things.
Taking down a website is an act of censorship.

They are hypocrites.

It's like blocking entry to a bank claiming to protect people from the greedy bankers who "steal" from the everyday working person. You aren't just harming the banks business, but stopping everybody else from dealing with their money as well.

There is nothing noble in what they do. If their aim was to fight against censorship then they wouldn't try censoring people and organisations by taking down their property.

 

[LostintheWick]

Since Anon has no true leadership or organization, I find that I support some of their actions and not others. It really depends on who and what they are doing. With that being said, I don't support this attack on PayPal and the kid didn't get hit hard enough, if you ask me.

He's obviously intelligent, but do we really need another intelligent, short sighted asshole?
On the plus side, this improved some of the companies security.

 

[Sparrow]

Urgh, Anonymous. I don't get how they're anything more than bullies. 60 hours of community service doesn't seem like a harsh enough sentence. I'm not sure what I would deem worthy of punishment for playing a part in losing PayPal (which seem like a pretty alright company to me, although I'm sure I'll be proven otherwise) five million dollars, but a week of unpaid labour sure as shit doesn't cut it.

 

[Church185]

I wish this site would stop referring to them as hacktivists. It almost glamorises them, as if they are actually doing something worthy or supporting a real cause.

What's a "real cause" if not supporting Wikileaks against censorship?

They take down websites for censoring things.
Taking down a website is an act of censorship.

They are hypocrites.

It's like blocking entry to a bank claiming to protect people from the greedy bankers who "steal" from the everyday working person. You aren't just harming the banks business, but stopping everybody else from dealing with their money as well.

There is nothing noble in what they do. If their aim was to fight against censorship then they wouldn't try censoring people and organisations by taking down their property.

Then how do you propose they fight back against censorship? Paypal was leveraging their power over Wikileaks to silence them, so Anon followed Hammurabi and gave it right back to them.

 

[Sylveria]

I wish this site would stop referring to them as hacktivists. It almost glamorises them, as if they are actually doing something worthy or supporting a real cause.

What's a "real cause" if not supporting Wikileaks against censorship?

They take down websites for censoring things.
Taking down a website is an act of censorship.

They are hypocrites.

It's like blocking entry to a bank claiming to protect people from the greedy bankers who "steal" from the everyday working person. You aren't just harming the banks business, but stopping everybody else from dealing with their money as well.

There is nothing noble in what they do. If their aim was to fight against censorship then they wouldn't try censoring people and organisations by taking down their property.

Question, do you think civil rights activists back in the 50s, 60s, and 70s were just causing everyone else trouble cause their marching held up traffic?

Also, I don't think you know what censorship means.

 

[Jumwa]

They take down websites for censoring things.
Taking down a website is an act of censorship.

They are hypocrites.

It's like blocking entry to a bank claiming to protect people from the greedy bankers who "steal" from the everyday working person. You aren't just harming the banks business, but stopping everybody else from dealing with their money as well.

There is nothing noble in what they do. If their aim was to fight against censorship then they wouldn't try censoring people and organisations by taking down their property.

Which doesn't change what I've said. Finding someone's cause or methods objectionable doesn't make it less of a cause.

Though for the record, no they are not practicing censorship. Censorship is by definition done by an official body, such as a state or company. Definition:

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/censoring
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Censorship

What they attempted to do was temporary and vengeful, but doesn't really qualify as censorship. It was a business interruption and many other things you could attach heinous labels to I'm sure, but censorship doesn't seem an apt label, especially as PayPal isn't in the business of public communications.

 

[cerebus23]

and they are right on guns and gun violence.

 

[Robetid]

Hacktivists? Come on... They're common criminals. Cowardly cyber-vandals who don't even have the balls to go outside and throw a brick through the window of whomever incurs their hate, so they instead inconvenience their webhosting company.

Except that time they rallied to keep Westboro from protesting Sandy Hook funerals i guess. But to Hell with those sinful children who didn't have time to repent for thier life's misdeeds.

 

[Zombie_Moogle]

I wish this site would stop referring to them as hacktivists. It almost glamorises them, as if they are actually doing something worthy or supporting a real cause.

What's a "real cause" if not supporting Wikileaks against censorship?

They take down websites for censoring things.
Taking down a website is an act of censorship.

They are hypocrites.

It's like blocking entry to a bank claiming to protect people from the greedy bankers who "steal" from the everyday working person. You aren't just harming the banks business, but stopping everybody else from dealing with their money as well.

There is nothing noble in what they do. If their aim was to fight against censorship then they wouldn't try censoring people and organisations by taking down their property.

Then how do you propose they fight back against censorship? Paypal was leveraging their power over Wikileaks to silence them, so Anon followed Hammurabi and gave it right back to them.

Hacktivists? Come on... They're common criminals. Cowardly cyber-vandals who don't even have the balls to go outside and throw a brick through the window of whomever incurs their hate, so they instead inconvenience their webhosting company.

Except that time they rallied to keep Westboro from protesting Sandy Hook funerals i guess. But to Hell with those sinful children who didn't have time to repent for thier life's misdeeds.

Don't forget about that time they shut down that online child pornography ring

or that Mexican hostage situation

Or outing the Stuebanville rapists

What am I forgetting... Oh! The massive protest campaign over SOPA; you remember, that bill that the Escapist forums responded to as if Hilter's brain had been put into a Terminator robot

Seriously, this forum loves to despise Anonymous when it's convinient