"Might is right" pretty much sums up the global legal infrastructure everywhere. USA is not party to some special case here, I think all hacking activity should be high risk for the individual(because all hacking is not ethical) and it is right that the law protect citizens from the unethical hackers that are able to affect us all in bad ways. For every Robin Hood there are many more who just don't care. I do think that hacking is required, simply as a check and balance against large institutions - but as an established practice like journalism, which is subject to special legal cases.
As with drug misuse, the penalty for me is the issue here. It's a lack of understanding about the causes or reasons behind the crime, a blunt response. Rethink or reduce the penalties and the practice becomes more attractive to people prepared to take the risk, for the right reasons.
This is a moral issue that will only become more complex, but embattling the issue into camps of the individual against the corporation will only serve the legal industry, not society at large.
As with drug misuse, the penalty for me is the issue here. It's a lack of understanding about the causes or reasons behind the crime, a blunt response. Rethink or reduce the penalties and the practice becomes more attractive to people prepared to take the risk, for the right reasons.
This is a moral issue that will only become more complex, but embattling the issue into camps of the individual against the corporation will only serve the legal industry, not society at large.