Guardian: Lawyers for hacker Andrew “Weev” Auernheimer, who is serving a 41-month prison sentence, will appear in a US court on Wednesday to try to overturn a conviction they say has serious repercussions for internet freedom.
Auernheimer, a self-confessed internet troll and hacker, was found guilty in November 2012 of identity theft and conspiracy to gain unauthorised access to AT&T public servers, after he obtained thousands of email addresses of iPad owners. He shared his findings with Gawker, which published them in redacted form. He was charged with a felony under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), a law that came under fire as outdated and too general when it was used to prosecute the late internet activist Aaron Swartz.
