Should a hacker go to jail?

Answer 1

That depends on what they do while hacking and their age. Sending an 11 year old script kiddie to jail probably won't be as effective as bringing his parents into it, having his computer privileges revoked and making him do community service. On the other hand someone who writes malware and embeds it as a Trojan in software so that they can hack computers to join them to a botnet DO belong in jail - preferably with a lifer named Bubba who wants to "have some fun with them". - ok I admit, I hate spammers and people who release scareware, spyware, etc. but the harm these people do is very expensive in terms of lost time and productivity not to mention the theft of services and aggrivation they are guilty of.

Answer 2

Whether a hacker should go to jail depends on the nature and impact of their actions. If the hacker engaged in illegal activities that caused harm, compromised privacy, or resulted in financial loss, then they should be held accountable according to the law. However, if the hacking was done ethically and lawfully as part of security research or testing, then jail time may not be appropriate.