391: A Terrified UK Hacker, NASA’s Secret Files & the Life Sentence That Hung Over Him

Today, the fear of hacking into our government’s sensitive digital information is one of the country’s top national security priorities. However, what if the largest U.S. government hack in history wasn’t perpetrated by a foreign adversary, but a regular guy with his home computer in London? Gary McKinnon, using off-the-shelf, legal software, was able to hack dozens of Government computers, some even located in the Pentagon. His goal: to spread his political message of anti-imperialism and search for evidence of extraterrestrial life. But what followed his hacks was a decade in which he feared extradition and a life behind bars in the United States. Still, the question remains: what did he find?
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Intro 0:00
Gary's Early Life 13:53
Not Like the other Kids 23:24
The Death of the Living Spaces 30:10
Learning to Hack 39:46
Fuel on the Fire 52:16
Breaking into the Government Computers 1:07:25
Simpler than it Should Have Been 1:23:04
Legal Troubles 1:33:00
The End? 1:43:22
Final Thoughts & Outro 1:54:18
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The creator hosts a documentary series for educational purposes (EDSA). These include authoritative sources such as interviews, newspaper articles, and TV news reporting meant to educate and memorialize notable cases in our history. Videos come with an editorial and artistic value.