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Most teen hackers more curious than criminal
From: "Don Blumenthal" <dmblumenthal () gmail com>
Date: Tue, 21 Aug 2007 15:55:46 -0400
Most teen hackers more curious than criminal By Marilyn Elias, USA TODAY
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2007-08-19-teen-hackers_N.htm
SAN FRANCISCO - A large minority of teenagers commit computer crimes such as hacking and software piracy, but it's done mostly out of curiosity and a hunger for excitement rather than wanting to cause trouble, a psychologist reported over the weekend. "Parents are not savvy enough yet" to realize what's going on, said psychologist Shirley McGuire of the University of San Francisco. "They are becoming more savvy, but they're not doing it fast enough." She reported on an anonymous survey of about 4,800 San Diego area high school students at the American Psychological Association conference. Among findings: *38% said they copied software without permission. *18% went into someone's computer or website without permission, and 16% took material. *13% changed a computer system, file program or website without permission. Boys were far more likely than girls to hack and illegally copy software. But only about one in 10 teens said they did it to cause trouble or make money. Many more cited learning about computers or because "it is exciting and challenging" as their main motives. Still, these actions are illegal and nothing to shrug off, says Nancy Willard, director of the Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use in Eugene, Ore. Innocent, techie children can stumble into "online support communities" that function like cyber gangs, she says. "They hack together, and they one-up each other." Teen hackers "invade privacy just to see if they can do it," Willard says. "They cause a lot of financial loss for companies and school districts." She says schools should do much more to channel techno-gifted teens into positive paths. For example, they can be paired with mentors in the industry or linked to community colleges that offer mind-expanding but legal computer activities. Not everyone says the problem is that serious. "In the vast majority of instances, it's not a crime because it's not done with criminal intent," says Steve Jones, a communications researcher who specializes in new media at the University of Illinois in Chicago. "Parents need to educate teens about copyrights and what's dangerous to do online, and then they need to show some trust for their kids. "This is rather typical adolescent behavior that has now transferred itself to the online realm."
Huh? It's not a crime because there was no criminal intent?????????? Don -- Don M. Blumenthal Technology, Law, and Policy dmblumenthal () gmail com www.donblumenthal.com 734-997-0764 202-431-0874 (c) _______________________________________________ Fun and Misc security discussion for OT posts. https://linuxbox.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/funsec Note: funsec is a public and open mailing list.
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