The 20-year-old hacker, David Kernell from Knoxville has been indicted for cracking the email account of Sarah Palin, McCain’s running partner. The young hacker turned himself in and will be appearing before a judge on Wednesday. If found guilty, Kernell faces 5 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and 3 years of supervised release. Presently, David Kernell is to use his computer only for school purposes and may not leave eastern Tennessee without written approval. Also, the hacker is forbidden from making contact with Sarah Palin or with her family.

The hacker managed to break into the vice presidential candidate personal email account with the help of a little research. He accessed the account and used the password recovery tool. For security purposes, Yahoo demands some very personal information in order for the password to be reset; Kernell answered all the questions right and after that he revealed some information found in the contents of the hacked email account on a forum called 4chan.org. Besides the obvious, a person’s right to intimacy was violated, this action proves how vulnerable email accounts really are.

On the other hand, if Wednesday the hacker is proven to be guilty, he will be set as an example to all hackers excited about breaking the law. The case will be prosecuted by Section Chief Michael DuBose and Attorney Mark Krotoski. David Kernell pleaded not guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge C. Clifford Shirley and the Justice Department says that and indictment is not the same with a conviction. David Kernell is innocent until proven otherwise.