Why Hackers Constantly Snitch on Each Other
Fully a quarter of illicit hackers may have been turned into federal informants, the publisher of a prominent cybercrime journal estimates. It turns out that pasty skinny computer nerds don't hold up well to police pressure. Go figure.
2600 publisher Eric Corley told the Guardian that he thinks one in four hackers have turned snitch "owing to the harsh penalties involved and the relative inexperience with the law that many hackers have — they are rather susceptible to intimidation." Cryptome publisher John Young added, "there are dozens and dozens of hackers who have been shopped by people they thought they trusted... it makes for very tense relationships." Here's to hoping Wikileaks accomplice Lady Gaga doesn't turn state's evidence. Something tells us she's made of tougher stuff than that.
