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  1. #1

    Default Broke Into Someone's Email, Keep Changing Their Passwords

    My question involves criminal law for the state of: New Hampshire

    I'm a bit nervous. "My friend" used someone's password on their g-mail account and has been messing around with her account and resetting her passwords on two of her accounts.

    The person doesn't know who has been resetting her passwords. She doesn't have a clue. Is it possible if she mails G-mail in frustration that they will trace it back to the offender who has been closing her accounts? (She has closed two)

    This was a bit of immature, annoying, harmless prank. But I am worried.

    What's going to happen? Is G-mail likely to trace this back to the person who has closed the two accounts? What is going to happen legally?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Toledo, OH
    Posts
    16,307

    Default Re: Im Nervous

    Is it possible if she mails G-mail in frustration that they will trace it back to the offender who has been closing her accounts?
    Yes. Google takes user privacy very seriously. I used to work for them. They take an extremely dim view of "harmless pranks".

    But I am worried.
    You should be.

    They will advise her to press charges, and when she does, they will fully cooperate with law enforcement by turning over YOUR information. Your IP is logged every time you log on to Google's servers. Finding out who you are? Trivial.

    What is going to happen legally?
    You could end up like this woman. Or you could get an even harsher punishment.

    Stop being stupid. Stay out of other people's e-mail. Period. Stop it now, don't ever do it again, and pray to every god that you can name that this woman does not escalate the issue and take it up with the Goog. It will go very badly for you if she does.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Posts
    7

    Default Re: Broke Into Someone's Email, Keep Changing Their Passwords

    Not to make light of the previous post. She is correct when she says you can be caught and get a slap on the wrist.

    However, you have nothing to worry about. I can assure you google will not pursue the issue. There are tons and tons of crackers out there, cracking google accounts this very second. Same with Yahoo... Yahoo patches their servers almost daily to prevent crackers from using tools created to get old, unused rare account (ie. ___google___) passwords.

    And to be honest, it cannot be proven. Sure, they can *maybe* prove that someone accessed the email from a particular house, but how will they prove it was one particular person? Even if that person lives alone. And they can only do that if the ISP actually has the IP records (which is required by law, but they don't always do).

  4. #4

    Default Re: Im Nervous

    Quote Quoting LawResearcherMissy
    View Post
    Yes. Google takes user privacy very seriously. I used to work for them. They take an extremely dim view of "harmless pranks".



    You should be.

    They will advise her to press charges, and when she does, they will fully cooperate with law enforcement by turning over YOUR information. Your IP is logged every time you log on to Google's servers. Finding out who you are? Trivial.



    You could end up like this woman. Or you could get an even harsher punishment.

    Stop being stupid. Stay out of other people's e-mail. Period. Stop it now, don't ever do it again, and pray to every god that you can name that this woman does not escalate the issue and take it up with the Goog. It will go very badly for you if she does.
    I never changed her passwords. I merely read a few of her e-mails. My friend did the account closing. I'm afraid that I am going to be tied in with everything he has done. He gave me a password and I just logged in and looked at a few e-mails. I never meant to do any harm.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    Texas/Tejas
    Posts
    1,879

    Default Re: Im Nervous

    Quote Quoting nesteaforthesoul
    View Post
    I never changed her passwords. I merely read a few of her e-mails. My friend did the account closing. I'm afraid that I am going to be tied in with everything he has done. He gave me a password and I just logged in and looked at a few e-mails. I never meant to do any harm.
    Yeah, and the dog ate your homework.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Posts
    9,096

    Default Re: Broke Into Someone's Email, Keep Changing Their Passwords

    There is a former Philly newscaster that has been fired and in now the subject of an investigation for just READING his coworkers email and distributing the contents.

    Maybe you should worry a bit more...

    http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/...16498305_x.htm

    And yes, the actions happened in Philly, but the FBI was involved... meaning that THEY, at least, saw it as a federal crime....

    Philadelphia newscaster fired amid e-mail scandal
    Posted 6/23/2008 9:45 PM | Comment | Recommend E-mail | Save | Print |



    By Dan Robrish, Associated Press Writer
    PHILADELPHIA — The TV station that fired newscaster Alycia Lane after several embarrassing off-camera incidents fired her former co-anchor Monday, nearly a month after his computer was seized in a federal investigation of allegations that someone leaked Lane's e-mail.
    CBS affiliate KYW-TV's decision to fire Larry Mendte came days after Lane filed a lawsuit claiming, among other things, that keeping Mendte on the payroll amounted to sex discrimination.

    A statement from the Philadelphia station said that Mendte's termination "was based on an independent investigation conducted by CBS." Station spokeswoman Joanne Calabria said Monday that she could not elaborate on what the investigation found.

    FBI agents searched Mendte's home and seized his computer in May as part of an investigation into a possible breach of Lane's personal e-mail account, lawyers for Mendte and Lane have said. Lane began to suspect this year that her e-mail was being accessed and forwarded to news outlets that have covered her career and social life.

    Mendte's lawyer, Michael A. Schwartz, said his client would continue to cooperate with authorities.

    "We look forward to a prompt resolution of their investigation," Schwartz said. "We also fully expect that Larry will resume his broadcasting career."

    Mendte and Lane anchored the 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts from September 2003 until Lane was fired in January shortly after she was arrested following a confrontation with New York City police. Lane was also previously the target of critical news coverage after it was reported she had e-mailed photos of herself in a bikini to married NFL Network sports anchor Rich Eisen.

    Lane's lawsuit, which was filed Thursday, also alleged that the station maliciously damaged her reputation. The station released a statement Friday saying Lane's allegations are not true and that it will defend itself vigorously in court.

    KYW's statement regarding Mendte's status was released after business hours Monday.

    Mendte, 51, who is married to local Fox news anchor Dawn Stensland, joined the station in July 2003 after several years at the local NBC affiliate. He previously co-hosted "Access Hollywood" and worked at Chicago's WBBM-TV, KFMB-TV in San Diego and WABC-TV in New York, according to his station biography.

    A message left for Lane's lawyer, Paul Rosen, also was not immediately returned.

    And from http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/...s-anchor_N.htm

    Feds: Ex-anchor hacked colleague's e-mail
    (AP) — A fired TV newscaster was charged Monday with hacking into the e-mail of his glamorous younger co-anchor hundreds of times for more than two years, as leaked information about her personal life helped lead to her own downfall.
    Federal prosecutors say former KYW-TV anchor Larry Mendte gained access to Alycia Lane's accounts from home and at work — about 537 times between January and May alone — and shared some of the information he found with a reporter. Lane's attorney said the motive was jealousy, but authorities were silent on Mendte's motive and his method.

    "The mere accessing and reading of privileged information is criminal," acting U.S. Attorney Laurie Magid said. "This case, however, went well beyond just reading someone's e-mail."


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