Should Courts Be Able To Ban Computer And Internet Usage?
from the increasingly-more-difficult dept
Now that Kevin Mitnick is finally being allowed on the internet again, the NY Times is wondering about whether or not courts go too far in banning computer criminals from using computers or the internet (here's the same story on a non-registration required site). The courts, it seems, are somewhat divided on the issue. So, if you're a computer criminal, there are some parts of the country where you're more likely to be banned than others. I would imagine that, eventually, this issue will have to go to the Supreme Court to be cleared up, but we might be better off the longer we wait. As computers and the internet become even more pervasive in our lives, the courts are going to have to recognize that banning someone from using a computer or the internet after they've served their sentence will make it nearly impossible for them to function. It sounds like a more reasonable solution is to require certain offenders to be monitored while they're using the computer.
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
