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Rogue Academic Downloader Busted by MIT Webcam Stakeout, Arrest Report Says

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Re: Rogue Academic Downloader Busted by MIT Webcam Stakeout, Arrest Report Says

#81

Post by nkassis »

burgerbrain wrote: post #63
tedunangst wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm reminded of the Boston Legal episode where the defendant kills his mother and they argue that he's not a danger to society because he only had one mother and is therefore not going to repeat his crime. More seriously, I'm not sure if I should interpret your statement to mean that white collar criminals are dangerous or that they should never go to jail.

Someone mentally unhinged enough to kill his own mother clearly is a danger to society though, unless there was a strong case that she deserved it. In that case, sure. No sense in putting him in physical harms way by putting him in jail. Imprisonment as a punishment is a horrendously barbaric concept, particularly considering the current state of the American prison system. White collar criminals, or any color collar…

I agree with this. I think better ways could be found for them to repay their debt to society. It would be cheaper also.

Re: Rogue Academic Downloader Busted by MIT Webcam Stakeout, Arrest Report Says

#83

Post by zeeg »

iends wrote: post #22
cschep wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ha, I was just thinking the same thing. Also, if we're talking pure logistics, don't jump off the BIKE either. Perhaps we should consider the fact that the secret service was involved.. I bet that guy is pretty fast. I don't know why I think that though, just seems more "tough". Another thing: Aaron is a really important person to have writing/researching/hacking outside of prison. Surely it's a net win to just pay a…

You ruined The Wire for me. I just started watching season 1.

Omar died :(

Re: Rogue Academic Downloader Busted by MIT Webcam Stakeout, Arrest Report Says

#84

Post by nitrogen »

moonlighter wrote: post #71
Estragon wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, a throwaway computing device in the network closet, which he then pulled the data from over the net (or, even better, which then uploaded the data to another server) would have dramatically reduced the risk he took. It's 20/20 hindsight, though. It's obvious from the way he behaved that he didn't think this was anywhere near as big a deal as it's turned out to be. And I might have easily made the same mistake.

Well, he's accused of hiding his face from surveillance cameras by holding his bike helmet up to his face and looking through the ventilation holes. You don't do that if you don't think it's a big deal, no?

A bicycle helmet? I might hold a helmet over my face if I were joking around or playing a prank. If I were serious (though I highly doubt I'll end up in such a situation), I would be using something other than a bicycle helmet.

Re: Rogue Academic Downloader Busted by MIT Webcam Stakeout, Arrest Report Says

#85

Post by antihero »

tedunangst wrote: post #75
knieveltech wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Pleas please please tell me this is a joke? Set numbers of PDF checkouts? I don't know if I should weep or vomit.

Physical books impose a natural limit on the number of simultaneous checkouts. If a book is very popular, the library will buy more copies to accommodate demand. If a PDF is popular, the publisher expects the library to buy more copies. It's artificial scarcity, but this is hardly new. The number of books in a library was never limited by the cost of paper.

Artificial scarcity is possibly one of the most perverse things to come out capitalism.

Re: Rogue Academic Downloader Busted by MIT Webcam Stakeout, Arrest Report Says

#86

Post by bootload »

Mizza wrote: post #64
bootload wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"... RUN FASTER. I really can't stress this enough. The reason he got caught is because he didn't run fast enough. If you're going to do stuff like this, LEARN TO RUN FAST. Cops are fat and slow. ..." Got COM?

COM?

"... Repeat. - You got com? -All units ..."

Translates as 'do you have communications?'. A standard Mil question you might be asked at any time, "Got Com?". If you do, this means any person giving chase will have the means to convey information for others to pursue. Making running away futile.

[0] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starship_Troopers_%28film%29

Re: Rogue Academic Downloader Busted by MIT Webcam Stakeout, Arrest Report Says

#87

Post by 16s »

shareme wrote: post #8

Something is missing.. Why was a Secret Service Agent on campus in the first place? Something is just not adding up as FBI has jurisdiction not Secret Service.. Plus, what is the other 2% that was downloaded that was not JSTROR stuff? Or ie ah do some journalism before writing the article?

Why was a Secret Service Agent on campus in the first place?

Because only their wire taps (or laptops) are allowed in network closets... when other people do this, it is illegal ;)

Re: Rogue Academic Downloader Busted by MIT Webcam Stakeout, Arrest Report Says

#88

Post by pak »

burgerbrain wrote: post #67
pak wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's nothing wrong with police skepticism or discussing libertarianism. Calling cops dumb and fat and saying you can avoid arrest by running faster... ehmm... what the hell passes for intelligent discussion on here now?

"saying you can avoid arrest by running faster" Is that false? If they cannot catch you, how can they arrest you?

It is categorically false. Police have radios, backup units, plainclothes units, dogs, helicopters, and some level of support from just about every citizen on the street. Where this happened, you are smack in the center of Cambridge in broad daylight with hundreds of witnesses and nearby patrol units. You can't outrun every witness on the street, or the officers summoned to the block ahead of you. It is absolutely ludicrous.

But for the sake of argument, let's assume he is the next Jason Bourne and manages to elude all of Cambridge, Boston, and MIT police on bicycle. What then? They clearly identified him on the street, so he knows they have his face. They also have his prints from the laptop, and the FBI probably has those filed from the PACER incident, so pulling his complete identity is only a matter of time. Staying at his job and place of residence is therefore out of the question. Does he pull a Whitey Bulger and go into hiding in some remote corner of the US? Give up contact with everybody that ever knew him and change his identity? Even Whitey got caught after 17 years, how long do you give a mild-mannered 24 year old with no ties to the criminal underworld? "Running faster" is only putting off the inevitable and adding charges to the docket.

Re: Rogue Academic Downloader Busted by MIT Webcam Stakeout, Arrest Report Says

#89

Post by [deleted] »

pak wrote: post #88
burgerbrain wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"saying you can avoid arrest by running faster" Is that false? If they cannot catch you, how can they arrest you?

It is categorically false. Police have radios, backup units, plainclothes units, dogs, helicopters, and some level of support from just about every citizen on the street. Where this happened, you are smack in the center of Cambridge in broad daylight with hundreds of witnesses and nearby patrol units. You can't outrun every witness on the street, or the officers summoned to the block ahead of you. It is absolutely lu…

[deleted]

Re: Rogue Academic Downloader Busted by MIT Webcam Stakeout, Arrest Report Says

#90

Post by burgerbrain »

pak wrote: post #88
burgerbrain wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"saying you can avoid arrest by running faster" Is that false? If they cannot catch you, how can they arrest you?

It is categorically false. Police have radios, backup units, plainclothes units, dogs, helicopters, and some level of support from just about every citizen on the street. Where this happened, you are smack in the center of Cambridge in broad daylight with hundreds of witnesses and nearby patrol units. You can't outrun every witness on the street, or the officers summoned to the block ahead of you. It is absolutely lu…

In this particular case, he was clearly boned. In the general case, RUN. Being in the middle of a city only helps you.

I say this as someone who has never been arrested.

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