- Jan 24, 2011
- 9,378
Thirteen people have pleaded guilty to disabling Paypal's servers in an attack US authorities say was orchestrated by hacking collective Anonymous.
The defendants acknowledged taking part in protests organized by Anonymous in December 2010 against Paypal, after the payment site cut ties to Wikileaks.
By pleading guilty, they will be hit with minor misdemeanour charges, as long as they stay out of trouble.
Paypal had urged leniency by prosecutors.
Lawyers for the defendants had argued that they were taking part in protests that should be protected by the US Constitution - specifically the First Amendment that guarantees free speech.
However, the US Department of Justice accused them of intentionally damaging a protected computer.
Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-25327175
The defendants acknowledged taking part in protests organized by Anonymous in December 2010 against Paypal, after the payment site cut ties to Wikileaks.
By pleading guilty, they will be hit with minor misdemeanour charges, as long as they stay out of trouble.
Paypal had urged leniency by prosecutors.
Lawyers for the defendants had argued that they were taking part in protests that should be protected by the US Constitution - specifically the First Amendment that guarantees free speech.
However, the US Department of Justice accused them of intentionally damaging a protected computer.
Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-25327175
