Reply #19: I think you fail to appreciate hints--- [View All]

[msanthrope]

“Generally, people who engage in unauthorized access — many of them anyway — are thrill seekers who do it without any specific plan in mind,” said Scott Christie, a former federal prosecutor who specialized in computer crime and is now a partner at the private firm McCarter & English.

“But to upload a data-mining suite of software suggests you have a plan in mind, you’re sophisticated enough to use the software and to configure it to find what you want, and that you have given this plan a great deal of attention.”

SNIP


Wysopal added that the tools are designed to make sophisticated queries and that in order to customize the program, if needed, someone would have to possess a certain level of skill.

“You’d have to understand the query language they use to build up different rules,” he said. “I don’t think it would be that difficult, but you probably need to have somewhat of a programming mindset. I don’t know if Manning would have that, or if he would need someone to help him do that.”


http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2011/04/manning-data-mining

Now, I read this and being in my legal frame of mind, let me tell you what this suggests--an organized plan, using a sophisticated tool. Note that more than one source speaks of the configuration of the miner. More than one person is involved. Possibly, software from WL. Traceable back to WL. If that's true, then Manning's testimony isn't needed. Only his computer.