The American college student who hacked into Sarah Palin’s email account has been found guilty of obstruction of justice and unauthorised access of a computer, and could face a jail term of up to 20 years.
David Kernell, the 22-year-old son of a Democratic state representative, gave no statement outside the court and has been released on bond.
During the 2008 presidential campaign, Kernell accessed Palin’s email account by guessing a “secret question” that allows a user to pick a new password for an email account.
Palin responded to the court’s decision with a statement on her website, saying it is of crucial importance that privacy is protected on the internet.
“Besides the obvious invasion of privacy and security concerns surrounding this issue, many of us are concerned about the integrity of our country’s political elections. America’s elections depend upon fair competition,” the statement said.
Patrick Stafford is a freelance journalist and a former deputy editor of SmartCompany.
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