Brief post today with an update on an important case that I wrote about last year: the federal prosecution of Barrett Brown. As I wrote back then, linking is the essential building block of the web. Criminally prosecuting someone for linking threatens this foundation. I am therefore relieved that yesterday the prosecution decided to drop these charges. While this is great news it is important to point out that Barrett Brown has been imprisoned since the fall of 2012 – that is not a typo.
The two remaining charges are threatening an FBI agent and possession of credit card numbers with intent to defraud. I can’t speak to the first one at all. On the second one I don’t know what the evidence is, but possession of credit card numbers (even including the names, expiration dates and CVVs) should not count as intent. Why? Because by following a link on the web you might wind up with such a file on your computer! Furthermore, anyone who has ever held your card in their hands (like every restaurant you have been to) has this information. Nobody should be able to transact with just that information without a second factor of authentication.
I hope the remainder of Barrett Brown’s case comes to a rapid and just conclusion and takes into consideration his year and a half in custody.
