Stuart said:if somone hacked a hotmail account surely hotmail/microsoft could pursue legal action against the hacker under the approprate laws?
In the instance I was quoting - that didn't seem to be the issue, i.e.
"Originally Posted by steve a
But if they were presenting themselves as that person and they wrote content that was defamitary or libellous then surely they would be breaking the law and as such could be prosecuted"
I don't know a lot about computer crime. When I've dealt with it - the issue was most often theft, deception or unfair trade, and child pornography. There is identity theft, often using computers, but this involves a monetary gain for the actor.
However, the above issue appears to be libel - which is actionable under US law, but it is civil law, which requires you to hire a lawyer and sue the individual who has libeled you. The laws of each state do differ, and I can only speak concerning those of my state - and I certainly don't know how the law reads in the UK.
PG