<nettime> Computer hackers could be classed as terrorists

[Eveline Lubbers <evel@xs4all.nl>]

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http://uk.news.yahoo.com/010219/152/b3u31.html

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Monday February 19, 04:49 PM

Hackers become terrorists under new law

By Will Knight

Computer hackers could be classed as terrorists under a UK law that
came into force today.

The Terrorism Act 2000 is designed to prevent dissident political
groups from using the UK as a base for terrorism and recognises a new
threat from cyberterrorists for the first time.

But the Act also significantly widens the definition of terrorism to
include those actions that "seriously interfere with or seriously
disrupt an electronic system". According to the Act this only applies
to actions "designed to influence the government or to intimidate the
public", but it will be up to police investigators to decide when
this is the case. The Act gives police the power to detain suspects
for 48-hours without a warrant.

Alex Gordon, a partner with London law firm Berwin Leyton and a
specialist in information technology law, said the act gives police
significant new powers over computer criminals. "The Act does catch
serious computer hacking," he said.

Gordon said it is unlikely that the act could be used to target all
computer hackers. However,he said the legislation is so new that
guidelines still need to be drawn up.

Just as many marginal political groups fear that the new legislation
could lead to the suppression of legitimate offline demonstrations,
some cyberactivists are concerned that it could stifle legitimate
Internet protest.

UK ISP GreenNet, which hosts a variety of Web sites belonging to
political activists and campaigners, could be affected by the Act.
GreenNet consultant and online activist Paul Mobbs, who has
coordinated protests through his site, Electrohippies, says that the
Act may result in Internet campaigns being controlled.

"As more people get on the Internet, it inevitably becomes
politicised," he says. "If a group did an email campaign to the prime
minister and that disrupted an email system that could be defined as
terrorism."

Mobbs believes that the Act could even be used by a authoritarian
government to stop legitimate political activism.

Mobbs courted controversy in March 2000 when he created a point-and-
click method of attacking the World Trade Organisation's Web sites as
part of global protests against capitalism.

The government has broadened the definition of terrorism to include
computer-related activity because it is concerned that militant
groups are increasingly turning to computer hacking techniques.
Internet activism is becoming more evident, with politically-
motivated computer hackers, or "hacktivists", defacing Web pages with
political messages and blocking off Internet sites for political
reasons.

Home secretary Jack Straw has signalled that he intends to clamp down
on those exploiting computers and the Internet to perpetrate
terrorist activity under the new Act.

"[Terrorists] are no respecters of borders and are continuously
developing new approaches and techniques," says Straw. "With the
implementation of the Terrorism Act 2000, the UK is making a very
firm statement of our intent to combat terrorism, with every
legitimate means at our disposal, whenever and wherever it occurs."

The growth of cyberterrorism has been made particularly evident in
the activities of Palestinian and Israeli hackers, playing their part
in the ongoing Middle East conflict. Their online feud, dubbed an "e-
Jihad", has seen protagonists deface and block politically opposed
Web sites and bombard enemies with avalanches of email.

Evidence suggests that this type of activism is growing in popularity
among other regional militant groups.

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