Hackers, spammers may be punished as terrorists

Kelly McNeill writes: >”A coalition of privacy and civil liberties groups are stressing the need to preserve individual rights and limit government authority as officials seek broadened powers to fight terrorism. But legislation saying that hackers and spammers can be punished as though they were terrorists has so far aroused little negative reaction. Lawmakers have acknowledged the need to balance new terror-fighting tools with existing civil liberties, but the inclusion of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) in the terrorism crackdown could result in harsh penalties — ranging up to life in prison — for hackers and senders of unsolicited e-mail, also known as spam.”