I, for one like Weev. He is a boundary pusher. Many even around here on hn might perceive his stuff as tasteless. But I sincerely wished more people were as dedicated to their "ideals" as Weev is.
Defending free speech means standing up for people who have controversial views - no matter how unease you personally are with these views.
Definitely. Free speech stands or falls on the most offensive speech.
It's easy to support free speech when all you say or hear is motherhood and apple pie. It's the things that make people uncomfortable that need protection from censorship.
I was thinking more about things that make people emotionally uncomfortable, rather than real-life trolling that has the potential to trigger a life-threatening stampede to the exits.
Unfortunately, a big part of "what he believes in" is (to use his words) "make people afraid for their lives" and of course, "ruin lives for lulz". So, yeah, I agree he is willing to be quite bold in standing up for his right to ruin.
That said, as much as I desperately want to see him behind bars for the things he has done, this AT&T conviction horrifies me, and I hope for all of our sakes he wins this appeal. And he has been right about one thing -- this IS about "embarrassing a big company". Because no law enforcement agency is willing to pursue the actual crimes he has committed against powerless individuals... the things he does to people as part of his "performance art".
I have tried every way possible to justify his current conviction and sentencing. But I can't. I support #freeweev but I sure as hell don't support weev. And until/unless you and your family have been victimized by his "work", you really have no idea what he is capable of or truly believes in.
-- Kathy Sierra
He claims they tried to frame him 5 times for terrorism, yet I can't find any articles which details what happened. Is there any solid evidence of this, or is it mainly speculation?
Also, if you're already on the FBI's radar, wouldn't you think it be smarter to lay low and wait until things cool down before you start hacking again?
Depending on which list you are talking about, there are tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or millions of Americans on "The List." You might be one.
Defending free speech means standing up for people who have controversial views - no matter how unease you personally are with these views.