4 ms·
That's a nice metaphore, but I think it is wrong wrong at a very critical level. If these crackers had went after a single user and decided to trash his webpage
by Xk 16y ago
That's a nice metaphore, but I think it is wrong wrong at a very critical level. If these crackers had went after a single user and decided to trash his webpage, release his emails, and ruin his life, then yes, I would agree with you -- they would be like a bunch of arsonists.
Let's assume a different metaphor. LargeBank offers people the option of storing their personal antique items there -- items which have significant emotional value to them. One day, the bank is robbed because the robbers smashed through glass doors to get in, encountered no security guards, and the bank never changed the default pin on the bank vault. Yes, it is the fault of the bank robbers for taking the money. But seriously, these people had entrusted the bank with their property. It is the banks fault for not doing even attempting to secure it properly.
EDIT: I do agree that by releasing their passwords, they have opened their users up to possible attacks which release their emails and trash their websites. And in this way I agree with you: the attackers have done this for the joy of attacking. However, I still place a large portion of the blame on Gawker.
- mixmax 16y agoWhat you're basically saying is, to stay with the arsonist metaphor, that if an arsonist burns a house down to the ground he should be prosecuted but if he burns down the whole village it's as much the villages fault as it is the arsonists - they should have fireproofed the thing. I strongly disagree. Crackers should be prosecuted, whether they had an easy job or not.
- stcredzero 16y agoTo complete your metaphor, the village government would've had to have provided all of the building materials, which would've all turned out to be highly flammable. So yes, prosecute the crackers, but Gawker is to be faulted for poor practices here as well.
- Xk 16y agoI am not disagreeing. I believe these crackers should serve jail time just as much as you do. I am just stating that I do not lift blame from Gawkers.
- hugh3 16y agoSo it's the old short-skirt-leads-to-rape argument again? On one hand, rape is entirely the fault of the rapist. On the other hand, it's still not a good idea to walk alone down a dodgy alley late at night wearing a short skirt or to go back to Julian Assange's hotel room. Discussing one point shouldn't detract from the other.
- jlcgull 16y agoSo it's the old short-skirt-leads-to-rape argument again? On one hand, rape is entirely the fault of the rapist. On the other hand, it's still not a good idea to walk alone down a dodgy alley late at night wearing a short skirt or to go back to hugh3's hotel room. Discussing one point shouldn't detract from the other. Ahem, just correcting your assumption.
- Xk 16y agoNo, I'm not trying to argue that at all. That case is entirely the rapist's fault. The difference I am trying to make is people have trusted (maybe wrongly) Gawker to protect their information. Gawker failed to do so.