Free Kevin, Kevin Freed

Jason Kroll’s Linux Journal piece marks Kevin Mitnick’s January 21, 2000 release from prison after nearly five years held without bail or trial, on restrictive terms that barred him from using computers, cell phones, or the internet.

Kroll recounts the Free Kevin movement led by 2600’s Emmanuel Goldstein, disputes over damage estimates claimed by companies like Sun Microsystems, and controversy over John Markoff’s role covering the case for The New York Times while also co-authoring a book about it — arguing the open-source and hacker communities should see Mitnick’s prosecution as a shared civil-liberties concern.