[IP] more on MIT says it won't admit hackers

[David Farber <dave@farber.net>]

------ Forwarded Message
From: Kenneth Martinian <kjmartinian@yahoo.com>
Date: Fri, 11 Mar 2005 08:17:07 -0800 (PST)
To: <dave@farber.net>
Subject: Re: [IP] MIT says it won't admit hackers

Dave-

As a MIT Sloan Alum, I have to say I (seemingly alone
in this) support the decision not to admit these
students. People are minimizing what these students
have done. This is the cyber equivalent of hearing
that someone broke into the Dean's office and, while
his door is still open, sneaking in to look into your
paper file. Whether the door is unlocked or not, it is
still breaking and entering.

Just because the activity is easy (e.g., only requires
changing the URL), does not take away from the fact
that these applicants knew they were attempting to
view something they would not be permitted to see.

Think about what an employer would do to a prospective
employee that was able to modify the URL of the
employeer to see whether they were going to get a job
offer. Do you think that employer would then hire them
if caught in the act? I believe any employer would
doubt the prospective employee's judgment enough to
deny an offer.

While the business world certainly has many with a
poor sense of ethics, this should not deter our top
business schools from trying to set a positive
example. What example would we be setting that peeking
at insider information only deserves a slap on the
wrist. In a world where Martha Stewart actually
profits from going to jail, where top executives can
defraud investors and escape justice, it is a breath
of fresh air to hear that somewhere, someone actually
is trying to set the right example in holding
accountable business people with poor ethics.

Ken Martinian
MIT Sloan '99

--- Dave Farber <dave@farber.net> wrote:
> 
> 
> _______________ Original message _______________
> Subject: Re: [IP] MIT says it won't admit hackers
> Author: Tice DeYoung <ticed@bellatlantic.net>
> Date:  11th March 2005 9:47:35  AM
> 
> Dave,
> 
>     If the schools were serious about being fair and
> honest; they 
> should also revoke the degrees they have awarded to
> those people 
> found guilty of major scandals like accounting
> fraud, etc.  Otherwise
> this is nothing more than grandstanding to show how
> serious they are 
> about integrity, while not addressing the more
> serious problem of
> giving away oversight of the privacy data of
> potential students to a
> third party.  This could be the start of a plethora
> of law suits 
> against the schools and the company that permitted
> the security 
> breach.
> 
>     Stanford is the only school that seems to be
> acting rationally in
> all of this.
> 
> Tice
> 
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