Montreal Student Expelled for Exposing College Website Security Flaw Speaks to CBC
01/21/2013 The recent tragedy of Internet activist Aaron’s Swartz’s suicide cast the spotlight directly on MIT’s actions in dealing with this case. MIT’s actions were totally at odds with their rhetoric of being a University that believes in open access. More fundamentally however, it brought into focus how a university differs from any other public institution in supposedly standing for educational ideals, for enquiry and for nurturing the development of students who will go on to change the world for the better. In this case, ideals were not in evidence and banal corporate practice kicked in. MIT administrators did their jobs unthinkingly, untouched by their context. Although some members of the faculty were opposed to the actions of the University, it seems their voices went unheeded. As a result of the publicity from Swartz’s suicide however, MIT President L. Rafael Reif launched an investigation into MIT’s role in the prosecution of the young man. It is yet to be seen what MIT will do as a consequence of this other than try and limit further damage to its reputation, and more importantly, limit any consequences for future donations from MIT alumni. In a case that has parallels with MIT and Swartz, a Canadian student, Ahmed Al-Khabaz has been expelled from Montreal’s Dawson College for exposing a security flaw in a student system which could have compromised the security of over 250000 students’ personal information. The Director of Information Services and Technology …
January 24th, 2013
thats goes to you aswell! if you dont know the full story then you shouldnt start judging! and take side
January 25th, 2013
UUUUH UUH UUUH UUUH UUH UH UH UUUH UUUUUUUUUUUUUH
January 25th, 2013
He got expelled for trying/continuing to attempt to hack college systems after explicity being told not to. The media (like usual) didn’t get most of the facts straight.
…funny how the other two students that helped him make the breach didn’t get expelled.
January 25th, 2013
Of course it is! What if he looks left?!
January 25th, 2013
is 4 screens really necessary for him to do his job? lol
January 25th, 2013
Really?
I didn’t know about that test account.
So it was legitimate?
January 25th, 2013
Lol he should have come to Abbott, were better
January 25th, 2013
I’m appalled after listening to this, so you give someone a test account for finding flaws in your system, and expel him when he does find things that could improve the security for all of their students and potentially other college systems??? This attitude says a lot for companies wanting to hire Dawson college computer science students in the future eh?
To the staff of Dawson college: “Think Forward”!!!
January 25th, 2013
Exactly, don’t go Dawson College.
Just move on, you have a bright future ahead of you young men.
January 25th, 2013
Don’t go to Dawson College