The widely-recognized hacker known as “Weev” was given a 3 year prison sentence for hacking into AT&T servers, collecting thousands of email addresses, and then releasing them to journalists.
Weev is, of course, a controversial figure. To some he is a hero, to others he is just a fame-seeking criminal. According to Huffington Post:
[Auernheimer]found a security flaw in an AT&T server three years ago that allowed his security group, Goatse Security, to collect 114,000 email addresses belonging to iPad 3G users. Auernheimer turned over that information to the gossip site Gawker, which posted some partially redacted addresses, prompting an FBI investigation.
Now, in a series of tweets, Auernheimer is talking about what could potentially be a human rights violation. As a Celiac, he is highly allergic to the protein gluten in grains such as wheat, rye and barley. If a person with Celiac Disease ingests gluten, severe damage can be done to the lining of the small bowel, causing potentially dangerous bouts of diarrhea, as well as intestinal bleeding, and permanent damage that has been found to lead to Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.
Auernheimer claims that while in confinement, he has been denied a proper diet because of his condition, and instead has been given small containers of peanut butter to get him through.
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Auernheimer’s condition and the food in prison brings up questions of what rights prisoners have to a proper diet and medical care. Is peanut butter enough for a person to survive on? Regardless of one’s opinion of his crimes and sentence (assuming Auernheimer’s tweets are correct), what should and can be done to help Auernheimer receive a balanced diet?
“Weev” is famous, therefore has a large network to help get his dietary issues addressed. But what about all the rest of the prisoners in the system who also may have medically-necessary diets?
And, ultimately, do you believe that Auernheimer’s claims are true? Is he being starved?
AP Photo: Julio Cortez
This is an actual medical issue that needs to be addressed by the prison. Handing a person peanut butter and telling them to be “more flexible” is not acceptable! He is not being “picky” or “difficult,” he has an actual medical condition, like a diabetic, certain foods can cause irreparable damage and it is the responsibility of the prison to provide him with the appropriate diet! They make accommodations for religious beliefs, gender- identity disorder, etc. so they must address this as well!