Did Russia Really Affect the Election Through ‘Hacking’? (New at Reason)

The furor over Russia’s alleged “hacking” of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and its supposed effect on Hillary Clinton’s failed presidential campaign continues, but is the media even presenting the allegations correctly?

In a new column for Reason, Andrew Napolitano says there’s an important distinction being missed:

Leaking is the theft of private data and its revelation to those not entitled or intended to see it. Hacking is remotely accessing an operational system and altering its contents — for example, removing money from a bank account or contact information from an address book or vote totals from a candidate’s tally. When Trump characterized the CIA claim that the Russians hacked the DNC and Clinton campaign emails intending to affect the outcome of the election as ridiculous, this is what he meant: There is no evidence of anyone’s altering the contents of operational systems, but there is evidence — plenty of it — of leaking.

View this article.