Is sending a forged e-mail accusing your roommate of being gay illegal? It sounds juvenile and malicious. But I don't see how it's a crime.
Anyway, you've misread the warrant application. The forged e-mails were tracked to a dynamic IP address. They searched for anyone else using the same computer name ("bootleg-laptop"), and found that the accused had used the same computer name but NOT the same MAC address six months earlier. They connected the accused to the e-mail by saying that he accessed the same gay social networking site referenced in the forged e-mail before the e-mail was sent, and that the accused and the person who sent the forged e-mails both use Linux.
Anyway, the accused was only targeted because he got into a fight with his roommate, and his overbearing roommate ran off and made crazy accusations about this guy hacking into the grading system. They evidently didn't find anything to support that accusation, so they went after him for this stunt.
You're right that defamation is generally a civil tort and not a crime (generally, that is, in the US; I don't know about the jurisdiction in question), and so the police should not have been involved. Thanks!
I couldn't follow that part of the document, but it sounded like he accessed the email account of his roommate (or someone else). That can be held to be illegal. In fact, if they can claim a $5,000 damage amount, it's a federal crime.
As for MAC address, they can be changed. Mine's been DE:AD:BE:EF:CA:FE for years. Not that I think the kid sounds like he'd bother to do that. He could easily swap NICs though.
It seems everyone overlooks the fact that the warrant was also after an undefined number of pirated movies. If found, that alone can cause the suspect serious grief. I wonder if the roommate will regret his testimony later on...
Comments
Is sending a forged e-mail accusing your roommate of being gay illegal? It sounds juvenile and malicious. But I don't see how it's a crime.
Anyway, you've misread the warrant application. The forged e-mails were tracked to a dynamic IP address. They searched for anyone else using the same computer name ("bootleg-laptop"), and found that the accused had used the same computer name but NOT the same MAC address six months earlier. They connected the accused to the e-mail by saying that he accessed the same gay social networking site referenced in the forged e-mail before the e-mail was sent, and that the accused and the person who sent the forged e-mails both use Linux.
Anyway, the accused was only targeted because he got into a fight with his roommate, and his overbearing roommate ran off and made crazy accusations about this guy hacking into the grading system. They evidently didn't find anything to support that accusation, so they went after him for this stunt.
Is sending a forged e-mail accusing your roommate of being gay illegal? It sounds juvenile and malicious. But I don't see how it's a crime.
Yes, given that we live in a society where many people think homosexual behavior is grossly immoral, that's prima facie defamation.
No it is not illegal. Defamation, even if it exists, which in this case looks pretty doubtful, is a civil tort.
You're right that defamation is generally a civil tort and not a crime (generally, that is, in the US; I don't know about the jurisdiction in question), and so the police should not have been involved. Thanks!
I couldn't follow that part of the document, but it sounded like he accessed the email account of his roommate (or someone else). That can be held to be illegal. In fact, if they can claim a $5,000 damage amount, it's a federal crime.
As for MAC address, they can be changed. Mine's been DE:AD:BE:EF:CA:FE for years. Not that I think the kid sounds like he'd bother to do that. He could easily swap NICs though.
It seems everyone overlooks the fact that the warrant was also after an undefined number of pirated movies. If found, that alone can cause the suspect serious grief. I wonder if the roommate will regret his testimony later on...
I think you overlooked several discussions before you. I talked specifically about this.