People who make computer viruses should be given the death penelty

[elsporko]

Everybody found guilty of making a computer virus should automatically be given the death penelty. Computer viruses can cause alot of problems and I think killinng all those involed would be the most effective solution.

[smileyeagle1021]

I happen to agree with you... creating computer viruses is nothing short of cyber terrorism, the punishment for terrorism is death... ergo, no arguments from me about putting hackers who intentionally release hostile viruses into the general public to death.

[the_std]

... Since when is the punishment for terrorism death in North America?

[smileyeagle1021]

... Since when is the punishment for terrorism death in North America?

http://www.crimemuseum.org/library/t...Terrorism.html

The final method for punishing a terrorist is the death penalty. While the subject of capital punishment has been hotly debated for decades, in many countries the taking of a life is considered to be worthy of losing your own. This is especially true in cases where the killing of one or more people is planned in advance, which is the case for every act of terrorism.

[KnitShoni]

So we'll have to waste more tax money to have more people sitting on death row for decades, and these people haven't actually killed anyone? No, thank you.

[protege]

As someone who does tech support, and spends a *significant* portion of their day dealing with viruses and other nasties...I think virus writers should be arrested, strung up, and then beaten to death with the code of whatever they've used to damage my computers. I have very little tolerance for those fuckers

[Wingates_Hellsing]

Virus writers are basically the E-version of people who'd burn down a case file warehouse for no reason other than that they could... so yeah, fuck em.

[Greenday]

One of my friends currently has an AIM virus where she keeps sending out IMs saying to check out her new photo album. Luckily I know better than to instantly accept crap like that.

[smileyeagle1021]

So we'll have to waste more tax money to have more people sitting on death row for decades, and these people haven't actually killed anyone? No, thank you.

Talk to the person who has lost everything because their business computer has been wiped out. Talk to the person who has failed out of school because their school computer was wiped out (I've known people who this has happened to). Talk to the people who have had bank accounts wiped out because of hackers, had identities stolen.
These hackers aren't humans, they are animals and should be treated as such. An animal doesn't have to have killed to be deemed too much of a threat to society to be left living (I'd wager 99% of rabbid dogs have never killed)... time we do the same with these animals too.

[draggar]

The sad thing is that some of these people (and hackers) end up with very good jobs at computer security firms.

[KnitShoni]

Talk to the person who has lost everything because their business computer has been wiped out. Talk to the person who has failed out of school because their school computer was wiped out (I've known people who this has happened to). Talk to the people who have had bank accounts wiped out because of hackers, had identities stolen.
These hackers aren't humans, they are animals and should be treated as such. An animal doesn't have to have killed to be deemed too much of a threat to society to be left living (I'd wager 99% of rabbit dogs have never killed)... time we do the same with these animals too.

I think murderers are animals, and should be treated as such. Same with child molesters. And, I agree with you about hackers. However, my point is that, murderers sit on death row for DECADES, filing appeal after appeal, before their sentence is finally carried out. And we have to pay for it. It's not so much the death penalty I have issue with, as it is the length of the appeals process.

[draggar]

I think murderers are animals, and should be treated as such. Same with child molesters. And, I agree with you about hackers. However, my point is that, murderers sit on death row for DECADES, filing appeal after appeal, before their sentence is finally carried out. And we have to pay for it. It's not so much the death penalty I have issue with, as it is the length of the appeals process.

Simple solution - 3 appeals and you're don. The sad part is that there is a large backlog so it takes so long to get to them.

[Dreamstalker]

The sad thing is that some of these people (and hackers) end up with very good jobs at computer security firms.

I would be for that IF and ONLY IF the person has truly turned around. Some do. Although I find it hard to believe that a real black-hat hacker would be hired to a security position; likely the ones being hired are gray-hats/the ethical ones.

(I consider myself a gray-hat; yes I've done some penetration testing/virus experimentation, but only on my own sandboxes to see how a given exploit works. I'm of the mindset that you need to know how these things work to be able to defend against them)

[HYHYBT]

These hackers aren't humans, they are animals and should be treated as such.

That's the trouble: they are human. Animals don't pull stuff like that.

But I'd far prefer to sentence them to time with nothing more advanced than a pencil.

[Ree]

Killing them is a tad extreme and over the top (but I suspect that was your reason for making the statement to begin with).

Punishments are supposed to fit the crime, and unless the computer virus has actually shut down a computer somewhere and caused death, capital punishment is not exactly a fitting punishment.

I like HYHYBT's idea of sentencing them to time spent in a room with nothing more advanced than a pencil.

It would be cool to give them life in a room with a computer with non-functioning components, and have the actual functioning keyboard and mouse on the other side of the glass, controlled by someone else, leaving them at the mercy of whoever is controlling it.