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kleinbl00  ·  3514 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Is This Justice? Charging an Eight Grader with a Felony for “Hacking”

Devil's advocacy:

As they say, you can indict a ham sandwich. "Justice" happens after the verdict.

It could be argued that young Mr. Green is getting a heapin' helpin' of civics as he becomes Florida's examplar for HELL NO using your teacher's password is not a violation of 815.06(2).

I mean, if you look at the law (and please, look at the law!) you've got:

    (2) A person commits an offense against users of computers, computer systems, computer networks, or electronic devices if he or she willfully, knowingly, and without authorization:
    (a) Accesses or causes to be accessed any computer, computer system, computer network, or electronic device with knowledge that such access is unauthorized;

So. Get on the network, you've violated section 2. What does Dominik Green win?

    (e) For a felony of the third degree, by a term of imprisonment not exceeding 5 years.

    (not to exceed) (c) $5,000, when the conviction is of a felony of the third degree.

As a felon, Mr. Green would be ineligible to vote, and ineligible for his felony to be expunged for five years. But hey - as a minor, Mr. Green would be ineligible to vote for four years anyway which pretty much demonstrates the raw batshittery of the law. So I'm guessing it goes down like this:

1) State argues he touched the computer "there"

2) Jury convicts 'cuz the law has no wiggle room

3) Judge gives him a suspended sentence because WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK

4) Mr. Green sues the state for violation of his civil rights because WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK

5) Florida is forced to rescind a draconian law clearly written by idiots that still have WebTV.

The whole process will probably take until he's 17 at which point he will have an awesome college essay to write. Not that it's going to be fun, not that he deserves this bullshit but this right here is the sausage making of freedom, ladies and gentlemen. Overreach leads to hand-slapping and there's always a citizen getting bloody in the middle.

I mean, shit. if it weren't for Beck vs. Eiland-Hall, most of us wouldn't know about the "moron in a hurry" test.