John Young writes:
In cyberspace, where hackers are finding commercial computer systems easy prey, businesses are choosing to hire free-lance security teams rather than involve the law. A Senate subcommittee heard Wednesday from experts who described how businesses, concerned over negative publicity, avoid reporting hacker assaults on their networked computer system.
Shocking, that. Of course this happens. I mean, its part of my bread and butter. However, this shouldn't be surprising -- businesses have ALWAYS operated this way, whether on shoplifting or catching employees with their hands in the kitty or hacking. It is not only a question of avoiding embarassment, but also a question of having different interests from law enforcement. The company wants safety, not convictions. They don't have to worry about warrants or absolute proof -- they only have to worry about their actions being defensible in a civil suit. This makes their operations in such cases very different indeed. Perry