A Give Up Exclusive!
from Spectacular Computer Crimes
by Jay Bloombecker

KEVIN MITNICK: THE WILLIE HORTON OF COMPUTER CRIME?

KEVIN MITNICK AND WILLIE HORTON

Any doubt that our society would prefer to deal with symbols of the crime problem rather than the realities should have been dispelled by the election of George "No- More-Willie-Hortons" Bush. The Bush campaign was able to brainwash a large part of the electorate into allowing Horton to serve as a symbol of Michael Dukakis' failure to fight crime effectively. So Mitnick served as a symbol of the federal government's commitment to fight computer crime. This symbol, however, threatens to encourage an end to thinking about the dangers of networks that allow Robert Morrises to send viruses careening through them. Mitnick's case also at least slowed the conversation about the dangers of educational systems that allow thousands of Robert Morrises to careen through them, gaining technological power far outstripping their juvenile sense of responsibility.

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