> Ransomware attacks and their perpetrators need to be officially classified as terrorists. I understand where the sentiment is coming from, but don’t do that.

> Ransomware attacks and their perpetrators need to be officially classified as terrorists. I understand where the sentiment is coming from, but don’t do that. There are a couple reasons why you shouldn’t do that. First is that these kind of blunt categorizations end up becoming a powerful tool in exactly the wrong hands. If punishments are more severe because of some categorization, then the lawmakers and politicians in charge of defining these categories, legally, end up wielding that power against their enemies. It is simply too easy. Label one group terrorists, label another group child abusers, etc. It’s an old playbook and unfortunately it works all too well. Second is that if you mete out capital punishment for some crime, then anybody who commits that crime would be more ready to murder to cover their tracks. Like, imagine if you gave the death penalty to horse thieves—well, if you do that, any horse thief with an ounce of sense will fight to the death to avoid getting caught. This is why only the most serious crimes can be capital crimes.