A Californian man has been fined and sentenced to community service for hacking into the website of satellite TV network Al Jazeera during the US-led war in Iraq. The hacker rerouted visitors to a page featuring an American flag and the motto "Let Freedom Ring".
| They let him off with a tap on the wrist... |
At a sentencing hearing on Wednesday, US District Judge Howard Matz told web designer John William Racine: "I don't think of you as an evil person ... but this was a crime. It wasn't just a childish prank."
| He's right, of course, whether we agree with Racine's sentiments or not. We're not at war with Qatar or even with al-Jizz. I spend enough of my time trying to keep hackers out of our server to sympathize... |
Judge Matz sentenced Racine, 24, to 1,000 hours of community service and a $2,000 fine. Racine, also known as John Buffo, promised the judge he would never do such a thing again. Prosecutors said the Qatar-based Arabic television broadcaster did not respond to US government inquiries about whether the hacking caused it any financial losses. Racine posed as an Al Jazeera employee to get a password to the network's site, then redirected visitors to a page he created that showed an American flag shaped like a US map and the patriotic motto, court documents said. In June, Racine pleaded guilty to wire fraud and unlawful interception of an electronic communication. |