Fergie's Tech Blog

Feds Out for Hacker Blood

Declan McCullagh writes on C|Net News:

Adrian Lamo, the hacker best known for illegal pranks aimed at companies like Yahoo, Microsoft and The New York Times, is free once again.

But his legal battles over handing over a DNA sample to the federal government are just beginning.

After pleading guilty to breaking into the paper's internal computer network in January 2004, the terms of Lamo's probation had confined him to the eastern district of California, which includes his parents' home near Sacramento where he is living. That probation, which included mandatory "computer-monitoring software and filtering equipment," expired Monday.

What isn't over is Lamo's refusal to give federal authorities a sample of his blood, which he says violates his religious convictions. He has offered to give a cheek swab as an alternative, a practice used by a number of states including California--but not the federal system.

posted by Fergie @ 1/18/2007 07:02:00 PM