Bradley Manning case stretches credibility of US computer fraud law
It's interesting he brought up My Lai (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Lai_Massacre" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Lai_Massacre</a>), there are more recent examples from Iraq that could be used just the same. Immunity from war crimes seems such a weird concept. I think it is the flip side of aggressively prosecuting whistleblowers, it sends a signal to the rest of the people in the employ of the government. 'Even if you do this, we'll protect you' and 'If you do this, we'll hound you forever'. It would be quite refreshing to see a nation-state prosecute its military and contractors (mercenaries, really) suspected of war crimes with the same zeal with which they target whistle-blowers.<p>Regarding the charges relating to computer fraud: This is like wire fraud. It's apparently pretty hard to do anything illegal in the USA without getting a charge of mail / wire fraud attached to it. I figure anything that involves a computer and that displeases someone in an official position is grounds for a computer fraud case. So I think the writers assertion that mailing the same documents in paper form would have had a different effect is wrong. The only thing that I think would change is that computer fraud would be replaced by mail fraud.<p>Manning is being charged with all this mostly because he embarrassed the US administration, not because of any fraud or real life fall out (contrary to earlier claims of lives put at risk and deaths related to the leaks no specific death has been positively linked to the leaks and any such claims were retracted during the case). The Image of the USA has been damaged, the recent NSA leaks damage it further. Instead of asking itself how to remedy the root causes an example is made out of those that stood up. Business as usual, unfortunately.