A judge in Argentina has ruled that hacking is legal by default in the country because it does not cause harm to material objects. The decision came in the acquittal of four individuals who hacked the web site of the country

The case was brought against a group known as “X-Team” which hacked the web site in 1998 in a human rights protest over an alleged cover-up of a murder. The group posted photos of murdered magazine journalist Jose Luis Cabezas on the site, together with statements blaming judges for covering up his death.

According to media reports on the case, the problem was that the country’s law can only prosecute acts that “harm things, people or animals” which, the judge acknowledged, leaves “a dangerous legal void.”

Wired News reports that the ruling does not give “a green light to all malicious hacking activities in Argentina” because the country’s legal system does not recognise the system of precedent common to many other legal systems. However, there is no reason to suggest that other judges would interpret the existing law differently.

We are processing your request. \n Thank you for your patience. An error occurred. This could be due to inactivity on the page - please try again.