Hey you! Put your hands up!
By Peter | September 29th, 2009
The entertainment provided by new technology is amazing in its scope. From the 100+ channel TV universe, to the limitless video, audio and reading possibilities on the internet, to the increased interpersonal communication provided by mobile technology, we’ve never had so much opportunity to stave off boredom. But, as it turns out, we’ve also never had so much opportunity to commit serious crimes.
According to a new book by Boston civil liberties lawyer Harvey Silverglate, the average American commits three felonies a day. Felonies being the serious ones, the ones that can get you put in jail. In most cases, he suggests, it’s not because we’re all criminal masterminds bent on bringing down society. Instead, it’s because we’re breaking laws that were sloppily and hastily written, in part due to an attempt to legislate the rapidly changing world of technology. And, he argues, prosecutors in the U.S. are increasingly looking for people they want to prosecute, rather than crimes they want to investigate. And once they have a target in mind, they can always find a slap-dash law or two that person’s breaking.
An example he gives in his book is of a Saudi student in the U.S. who was charged with offering “material support” to terrorists. His crime? Offering links on his websites. He ran sites for a Muslim charity that was totally above-board. But, the prosecution pointed out, if you followed enough links that started at his site, you could eventually reach websites which featured violent, anti-American talk.
When you can prosecute people for linking to sites that link to sites that might have some terrorist talk going on, you can pretty much prosecute anyone who runs a website. And that, really, is the point. As more and more sloppy laws go on the books, it gets easier and easier to bust people for various technology-related crimes.
Tags: Big Brother, Harvey Silverglate, internet crime
