14 DAY TRIAL // In light of the recent arrests of Anonymous and LulzSec members, the UK Metropolitan Police Service warns people against taking up hacktivism.
Anonymous has already issued a statement which defiantly dismisses the recent wave of arrests across US and Europe as futile attempts at disrupting its social movement.
"It is our mission to help these people and there is nothing - absolutely nothing - you can possibly to do make us stop," the hacktivists wrote.
However, law enforcement officials are worried that the increased notoriety of the group and its actions could attract rebellious teenagers who don't fully grasp the implications of hacktivism.
"We want to remind people of the law in this area," said the UK Met Police. "Anyone considering accessing a computer without authority should understand that such acts are unlawful and can carry a term of imprisonment," it stresses.
The Scotland Yard also points out that this is not limited to computers located in the country or to UK residents. "Under UK legislation, it is an offence if a person acts from within the UK upon a computer anywhere else in the world. It is also an offence if someone anywhere else in the world to criminally affect a computer within the UK," it warns.
Unauthorized access to or modification of computer material can carry a sentence of up to two years in jail, while impairing the operation of a computer, hindering access to a program, or impairing the operation of a program, carries a maximum prison sentence of ten years.
"These offences cover the acts of unauthorised access to personal accounts, Distributed Denial of Service (DDOS) Attacks and intrusive hacks where data is taken or systems changed," the police notes.
The UK chapter of Anonymous has already responded to the warning by saying "We don't recognise that law. What we do is legitimate peaceful protest, and that isn't a crime."