And here's Elliot's "official statement": http://elliotspeck.com/phpfog.html
And for anyone who missed it, here's what Elliot posted in the previous HN discussion about the phpFog breach: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2346161
And for anyone who missed it, here's what Elliot posted in the previous HN discussion about the phpFog breach: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2346161
Not too bright, are we? Instant message the company you just hacked and bust out from behind your handle, then provide evidence for the prosecution in the form of a Web page? What is with kids these days?
It only takes one episode of Law & Order to figure out how to proceed here. Clue: Attorney.
After reading that I think it's a pretty strong argument against those claiming adult status for him. He clearly doesn't understand the situation he's in or the second order impacts of what he's done.
"Following this, I took a hold of their Twitter account and posted a couple of bits to draw attention to the fact. This did two things. One, it showed people the system was insecure, but on the other hand people always subconsciously root for the underdog; I drew attention to the company and the product. I know a number of people have actually registered (or intend to register, registration is closed) for phpFog since the incident thanks to the attention drawn to it by myself."
However, I won't post them here. That would be irresponsible disclosure. ;)
Kids (and like it or not, that IS what they are) are notoriously dramatic and these kids are definitely experiencing this as a crisis, no matter how they present in their comments.
They are also now being border-line, and in some cases overtly cyber bullied by some of their peers online which may be devastating if they don't have great face-to-face support. As adults, we have a responsibility not to add fuel to that fire and remember that if teenagers were predictable and transparent, there wouldn't be so many tragic cases in the news where they hurt themselves and each other.
Part of the problem is that teenagers and young adults aren't great at predicting consequences. This isn't opinion - it's science.
Especially in males, the part of the brain that is responsible for predicting consequences is not fully developed until the early to middle twenties. This is a double whammy because it leads to their bad decision making, but also to their belief that when something bad happens as a result, that it's literally the end of the world... that there is no way out.
There is no disputing that what these boys did was a big deal and that there have to be consequences. But it's also just a symptom of a bigger problem: as a society, we have failed to keep pace with the challenges that are the result of the first generation of digital natives (kids) being raised and educated by a generation of adults who are (at best) digital immigrants.
This post is getting way too long so I'm going to finish it on my blog @ thenewtag.com But thanks, criticsquid and nbpoole for posting some of the aftermath. I hope that one of the 1st things phpfog (or the authorities) did was involve these boys' parents?