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| US reporter jailed for linking to stolen data | US reporter jailed for linking to stolen data |
| (about 11 hours later) | |
| A journalist with connections to the hacking collective Anonymous has been sentenced to five years in jail after posting online links to stolen data. | A journalist with connections to the hacking collective Anonymous has been sentenced to five years in jail after posting online links to stolen data. |
| Barrett Brown originally faced charges punishable by more than 100 years in prison, but the sentence was reduced after he pleaded guilty last year. | Barrett Brown originally faced charges punishable by more than 100 years in prison, but the sentence was reduced after he pleaded guilty last year. |
| He said he broke the law to reveal details of illegal government activity. | He said he broke the law to reveal details of illegal government activity. |
| The case drew criticism from advocates of free speech and media rights organisations. | The case drew criticism from advocates of free speech and media rights organisations. |
| One of Mr Brown's supporters is Glenn Greenwald, a journalist who publicised the National Security Agency (NSA) spying programme revealed by whistle-blower Edward Snowden. | One of Mr Brown's supporters is Glenn Greenwald, a journalist who publicised the National Security Agency (NSA) spying programme revealed by whistle-blower Edward Snowden. |
| Brown, a 33-year-old US journalist, became an advocate for Anonymous and was often interviewed about the group. | |
| He was arrested after posting a link to data hacked from defence intelligence firm Stratfor. | He was arrested after posting a link to data hacked from defence intelligence firm Stratfor. |
| In April he pleaded guilty to three charges, including obstruction of a police search, making internet threats and a charge related to his involvement in the sharing of the Stratfor data. | In April he pleaded guilty to three charges, including obstruction of a police search, making internet threats and a charge related to his involvement in the sharing of the Stratfor data. |
| But according to the AFP news agency, in a statement written before Thursday's hearing Mr Brown launched a staunch rebuttal of the case. | But according to the AFP news agency, in a statement written before Thursday's hearing Mr Brown launched a staunch rebuttal of the case. |
| He said: "The government exposed me to decades of prison time for copying and pasting a link to a publicly available file that other journalists were also linking to without being prosecuted." | He said: "The government exposed me to decades of prison time for copying and pasting a link to a publicly available file that other journalists were also linking to without being prosecuted." |
| His defence was backed by the media rights groups who said he was being prosecuted for his journalistic work. | His defence was backed by the media rights groups who said he was being prosecuted for his journalistic work. |