When someone gives you the password to their e-mail account and you access that account, are you aware that you are committing a crime. Even if given permission it is still illegal, and Leon Walker found this out the hard way.
Leon Walker (AP Photo)(CBS/WWJ/AP) Leon Walker, a Michigan man facing felony charges for allegedly hacking into his estranged wife's computer to access her e-mails, has had his trial postponed to give his lawyers more time to prepare their case.
Walker, of Rochester Hills, is accused under a state hacking law of reading then-wife Clara Walker's e-mail on a laptop in their home in 2009.
The trial was originally slated to begin this month. Instead, it was rescheduled for April 11, in Oakland County Circuit Court in Pontiac.
Walker, an information technology worker, faces up to five years in prison for violating an Internet computer misuse law which was designed to protect the stealing of trade secrets and identities.
Clara Walker, 35, filed the complaint against her husband last year, after she learned he had hacked into her email account and read emails which exposed an affair she was having with her second husband. He had been arrested on charges of beating her in front of a child she had with her first husband.
Walker claims his now ex-wife had told him the password, and that he originally went into her account to confirm that she was taking their 3-year-old daughter on liaisons with the second husband.
Walker also presented the emails to the first husband because he was allegedly concerned for the child's safety. The first husband then filed for custody of the child and attached the emails to the court filing, reports Arizona Central.
Walker's lawyer Leon Weiss is using the additional time to review police records from the sheriff's office involving spouses and ex-spouses reporting that their e-mails had been read; however, he could not find a single prosecution, says Arizona Central.
Prosecutor Paul Walton said Walker's actions merited the felony charge and that he used the information to "humiliate her."
Leon and Clara Walker divorced in December 2010.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162_20030408-504083.html
So before you try to use someone else's e-mails against them you better think twice, because you could be on your way to becoming a convicted hacker.
WOW first how many times did this woman get married and divorced??? I believe if she had given him her password then that implies permission to view her email. Laws should be implemented against the hackers and the people stealing identities, not some cheating spouses getting caught and thinking laws should protect them. In addition, if she wasn’t cheating and had nothing to hide she definitely would not be suing him. I think this is a ridiculous case and maybe I am being Bias but she should not get anything. Also I believe she should not ever get married again and grow up and focus on her child’s well being.
ReplyDeleteBecause she left her password openly available, the computer is in his home, and is shared by the both of them, I do not feel like this is hacking. I feel like this is a situation that should be handled between them and agree with you that it wouldn't have been a problem to her if she was not doing anything wrong. Her second husband had been arrested previously for abuse, so I feel like Leon had the right to read her emails for the safety of his child. Because this is the first case of hacking in Michigan concerning two spouses, the system does not have any previous cases to go back to and look at. I also agree with you that the focus should be more on catching the "real" hackers. It's ridiculous that Max Butler, a man that was convicted for hacking into government databases, served only 18 months in prison, while Leon Walker is facing 5 years. I beleive there are so many gray areas with this type of situation, and I honestly do not feel like he should serve any time for what he did.
ReplyDeleteYes, I also don't see the point he is facing 5 years of prison. She gave him the password to access her email. If there is something that you dont want your spouse to know, you wouldn't have given permission. I think this case is more about privacy and the faith in relationship between them. I would not called or considered it as hacking. He also did not use her personal information to commit any crime.
ReplyDeleteYes this is definitely a situation I think should have been handled between them and their family. Not saying that she is a bad person, but I feel like she is doing this to make him look bad because she got caught cheating. I don't understand why she would mess up her marriage to go back to someone who has abused her previously. She has no respect for herself, her husband, or her children. Is there anyone who would like to take the side of Clara Walker?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Shamika in both of her posts. I feel like giving your password to someone is like letting them drive your car. Your basically handing over the key. If she didn't want him to read her emails, she had the opportunity to change her password. From my personal experience, if I give someone my password and decide that I don't want them to ever get back in, I change it. I believe she wanted to make him look bad because she got caught. He wouldn't have looked if she didn't give him a reason to.
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