Adrian Lamo.
ADRIAN Lamo, the hacker who betrayed Bradley Manning to the US authorities, has said it would be to his ”lasting regret” were the soldier to be given a lengthy custodial sentence.
Lamo, 30, dubbed the ”world’s most hated hacker” for his role in passing information on Manning to military intelligence after the soldier befriended him on internet chat, said he understood that Manning was an idealistic young man who believed he could change the world for the better and ”who didn’t necessarily know what he was doing”.
”I think about him every day. The decision was not one I decided to make, but was thrust upon me.”
Lamo was convinced he had done the necessary thing. ”Had I done nothing, I would always have been left wondering whether the hundreds of thousands of documents that had been leaked to unknown third parties would end up costing lives, either directly or indirectly,” he said.
Lamo was denounced by fellow hackers as a ”snitch” and was booed at a hackers conference last year.
He said he was taken aback by the fallout but that ”Mr Manning’s wellbeing was not as important as the security of our armed forces. I had never considered myself patriotic, but when push came to shove the wellbeing of the nation was of paramount importance to me.”
GUARDIAN
Article source: http://www.theage.com.au/world/hacker-says-soldiers-betrayal-thrust-upon-me-20111216-1oytm.html
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