"Aaron's act was undoubtedly political activism, and taking such an act in the physical world would, at most, have a meant he faced light penalties akin to trespassing as part of a political protest. Because he used a computer, he instead faced long-term incarceration. This is a disparity that EFF has fought against for years."
This is very related to the founding of the EFF, check out Bruce Sterling's "The Hacker Crackdown" for a great account of it and one of the early cases (Steve Jackson Games).