
Issue No 62		14 July 2000

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Letters to the Editor

Political Hackers and the Law

During the 1998 election campaign I made some unpublicised alterations to the Liberal party website, for which I was prosecuted. It was very much like the recent extraction of business details from the gstassist.gov.au website by "Kelly". In both cases the so-called crime was perpetrated merely by using a straight-forward web address (Universal Resource Locator).

In both cases, there was no security to violate. There were no passwords -- it was easier than checking email.

If "Kelly" is charged he should get a smart lawyer, not plead guilty under any circumstances, and appeal until he wins. And if he isn't charged, then why was I?

But let's allocate blame where blame is due. The Liberals are essentially a bunch of unimaginative lawyers from leafy suburbs. And their first and last answer to any problem in information technology is to aggressively apply the moral status-quo -- the true definition of conservatism.

Hence no security on government websites, unworkable censorship laws and oppressive datacasting legislation.

There is a possible exception to the idiocy -- Amanda Vanstone! She recently endorsed a Discussion Paper on Computer Crime. Its recommendations would legalize my actions, and those of "Kelly", and rightly so.

Checkout pages 155 to 160 of

http://law.gov.au/publications/Model_Criminal_Code/damage.pdf

Alex Pollard

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Issue 62 contents

Interview: Fair Trader
AMWU boss Doug Cameron is gearing for a showdown with the ALP over their free trade agenda. But what's he really on about?

Politics: Free Trader
Trade Minister Peter Cook states his case for coninuting trade liberalisation and why the 'fair trade' agenda is against the interests of Australian workers.

History: Organising - Fifties Style
What do the new wave of organisers do? Pretty much the same hard slog that Audrey Petrie did in the 1950s around Sydney for the Hotel, Club and Restaurant Union (HCRU).

Unions: The Whistleblower
A lone Chinese seafarer is fighting to stop a Panamanian flagged vessel from dumping toxic waste into Australian waters

International: Jakarta Breakthrough
Indonesian workers have just won a new historic bill of rights which gaurantees them legal protections when they form unions.

Solidarity: Rio Versus the Rest of the World
Union members around the world have taken part in a week of international action against the mining giant Rio Tinto. Andrew Casey looks at all the hot spots.

Satire: Amnesty Branch Targets Lazy Letter Writer
Police are investigating claims that the Glebe branch of Amnesty International has captured and tortured a member whose tardiness in letter writing had become renowned.

Review: Little by Little
Clinton Walker's groundbreaking book, CD and video charts the careers of indigenous artists like the legendary Jimmy Little.

» Hotel Workers Get Serious on Olympic Pay

» Global Rio Tinto Campaign Bites

» Nike Faces Olympics Shame

» Cameron Calls for 'Social Audit'

» Orange Rally Softens Email Job Losses

» No Joy in the Chase

» Reith Scheme Short Changes Workers

» World Banks' PNG Edict: Six Thousand Bucks per Job!

» New Wages Scam - Sink Company to Avoid Pay

» Shaw Returns to Bar Room Life

» Newman! Minister Dumps on Staff for GST

» Taxi Drivers Win GST Justice

» Unchain Your Mind

» ACTU Womens' Conference