It doesn't matter where you log onto your computer. Whether it is in Newport Beach, Corona del Mar, Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, San Diego, Orange County, Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Long Beach, Santa Ana, Anaheim, Riverside, Chula Vista, Irvine, Huntington Beach, Fontana, Oceanside, Garden Grove, Corona, Escondido, Orange, Fullerton, Costa Mesa, Carlsbad, Temecula, Murrieta, Mission Viejo, Westminster, Santa Monica, Santa Barbara, Buena Park, Indio or anywhere else in Southern California, we all rely on the internet and on our data and e-mails to be protected from others (even though people in the know say that every search you make is recorded permanently on your computers and on others). 

But recently not only the Vice Presidential running mate of John McCain, Sarah Palin's e-mail account was hacked, so was the website of Bill O'Reilly. Is there a pattern here, besides the obvious one, that Republicans and Republican news anchors are being hacked? Does this mean that the hackers are Democrats? Or that democrat hackers are more internet savvy than Republicans. Or does it mean that Republicans don't take internet safety seriously?

And what is the punishment for internet hackers? If they are Democrats, will they be forced to attend Republican political rallies and have to watch Fox News 24 hours a day while in prison, or is the punishment even more diabolical?

In all seriousness, what these two instances show once again is the ease with which a person's e-mail account, data and websites can be hacked.

Most, if not all states have criminal statutes which make it illegal to participate in such hacking. Hacking also usually runs afoul of other statutes which prohibit theft by deception.

The punishment for such crimes varies with the state. In Alaska, for instance, the state of Sarah Palin, the crime is a Class-C felony punishable by up to five years in prison.

Such crimes, however, can be difficult to prosecute. First the hacker must be caught and if he or she does not boast about his crime and uses public computers to perform his thievery where the hacker himself is not under surveillance, it may be difficult to catch the culprit.

Second, most state statutes require that the person committing the crime be present in the state when the crime was committed. Computer hacking is one of those crimes however, where the criminal is often in a different state.

To go after the culprit in civil court can pose similar problems, including determining who performed the hacking, obtaining jurisdiction over that person in your state, and finding a defendant with any assets to pursue.

If you are worried about internet security, you should be. Features on many accounts that allow you to simply tell the site you forgot your password are magic to computer hackers such as the one that apparently hacked Sarah Palin's e-mail account.

To be a little safer, you shouldn't use the same password for all of your internet accounts and websites. Otherwise what you use at one account can be used to enter all of your other accounts if someone unscrupulous obtains your password. If you use a forget your password feature, answer the question with something ridiculous. Tell them that your favorite dog's name was Thomas Edison instead of Fido and that your mother's maiden name was Rothschild (or, if you want to be more ridiculous, that your dog is named Rothschild and that your mother was Thomas Edison).

And if you must use an internet connection at an airport, hotel or other public location, keep in mind that any geek with a small device can intercept all your data, all your communications and all your photos.

If you want to stay up at night worried about internet security, just think how much information was obtained by hackers from visiting CEOs during the Olympics in China.

If you have an internet legal issue in Irvine, Orange County, La Jolla, San Diego, in the Inland Empire, Los Angeles, Palm Springs or anywhere in Southern California, we have the knowledge and resources to be your California Internet Lawyer and your Anaheim and Irvine Internet Attorney on your case. Be sure to hire a California law firm with internet lawyers who can serve areas such as Los Angeles, Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Anaheim, Irvine, Newport Beach, Carlsbad, Corona del Mar, Laguna Beach, Huntington Beach, Santa Ana, Rancho Cucamonga, Ontario, Fullerton, Del Mar, San Diego, Orange County, San Luis Obispo, Buena Park, La Jolla, Oxnard, Ventura, La Quinta, and Santa Barbara so you are properly represented and get the compensation you deserve.

If you have an internet legal issue of any kind, call the Law Offices of R. Sebastian Gibson, or visit our website at http://www.sebastiangibsonlaw.com  and learn how we can assist you. You can also call us to speak directly to Sebastian Gibson on the phone about your legal matter.