It is less than clear what crime may have been committed. Mitnick hacked corporate sites and copied computer programs in development but never profitted. It is difficult to sympathize with the companies targeted by the e-mail flood. They are commercializing the Web, transforming it into a vast shopping mall. And they are increasingly calling the shots about what you and I can and cannot do on the Web.
Security has at least two meanings.
One is about policing. Another is about protection. We need to find ways to strengthen alternative uses of the Net. That's less about policing and more about securing our right to the free flow of information and resources against the tide of commercialization. Reproduction of this article in electronic or other media is strictly prohibited without express permission of the author.